High-Temp Superconducting Wires

Just last year, a group of scientists from Cal Tech developed the first high critical temperature nanowires. The high Tc superconducting materials function at higher temperatures than superconductors, other superconductors normally are lower than the boiling point of nitrogen (-321 degrees Fahrenheit). The problem that was plaguing scientists was maintaining the structure of the crystals. However Dr. James Heath and a colleague Ke Xu created a copper-oxide nanowire called YBCO, which increase and decrease in conductivity due to wire dimensions varying. These allows for a broad range of conductivity based on temperature changes. Future work is planned to increase the "critical current" of the systems, which means inducing a current that is so high that resistance is observed.


http://www.physorg.com/news146918344.html