A superconducting material includes YBa.sub.2Cu.sub.3O.sub.7- and a nano-structured, preferably nanowires, WO.sub.3 dopant in a range of from 0.01 to 3.0 wt. %, preferably 0.075 to 0.2 wt. %, based on total material weight. Methods of making the superconductor may preferably avoid solvents and pursue solid-state synthesis employing Y, Ba, and/or Cu oxides and/or carbonates.

A method and composition for doped HTS tapes having directional flux pinning and critical current.

An oxide superconductor wire includes: a tape-shaped oxide superconductor laminate that is formed by providing an intermediate layer on a front surface side of a metal tape-shaped substrate, providing an oxide superconductor layer on the intermediate layer, and providing a protective layer on the oxide superconductor layer; and a coating member that includes a metal tape and a low melting point metal layer, in which the metal tape has a wider width than that of the oxide superconductor laminate and covers the protective layer surface of the oxide superconductor laminate, both side surfaces of the oxide superconductor laminate, and both end portions of a substrate back surface side in a width direction thereof, and both end portions of the metal tape in a width direction thereof are provided to cover both the end portions of the substrate back surface.

Disclosed are systems and methods for a self-monitoring conducting system that can respond to temperature, strain, and/or radiation changes via the use of optical fibers. The self-monitoring conducting system comprises a conducting component integrated with one or more optical fibers. The temperature, strain, and/or radiation changes can be sensed or detected via optical interrogation of the one or more optical fibers.

An oxide superconductor of an embodiment includes an oxide superconducting layer including at least one superconducting region containing barium (Ba), copper (Cu), and a first rare earth element, having a continuous perovskite structure, and having a size of 100 nm100 nm100 nm or more, and a non-superconducting region in contact with the at least one superconducting region, containing praseodymium (Pr), barium (Ba), copper (Cu), and a second rare earth element, having a ratio of a number of atoms of the praseodymium (Pr) to a sum of a number of atoms of the second rare earth element and the number of atoms of the praseodymium (Pr) being 20% or more, having a continuous perovskite structure continuous with the continuous perovskite structure of the superconducting region, and having a size of 100 nm100 nm100 nm or more.

A superconducting wire includes a multilayer stack and a covering layer (stabilizing layer or protective layer). The multilayer stack includes a substrate having a main surface and a superconducting material layer formed on the main surface. The covering layer (stabilizing layer or protective layer) is disposed on at least the superconducting material layer. A front surface portion of the covering layer (stabilizing layer or protective layer) located on the superconducting material layer (front surface portion of the stabilizing layer or upper surface of the protective layer) has a concave shape.

A superconducting element (1) has a metallic substrate (2), an insulating layer (3), a superconductor layer (5) and a metallic protective layer (6), wherein the insulating layer (3) is arranged between the substrate (2) and the superconductor layer (5). In cross-section of the superconducting element (1), the insulating layer (3) extends at both ends past the area (B.sub.SL) of the substrate (2) covered by the superconductor layer (5) to galvanically separate the superconductor layer (5) and the metallic protective layer (6) from the substrate (2). The thickness D of the insulating layer (3) is selected in such a fashion that the superconducting element (1) has a transverse breakdown voltage between the metallic substrate (2) and both the superconductor layer (5) as well as the metallic protective layer (6) of at least 25 V. The superconducting element has a reduced risk of being damaged in case of a quench.

Electrical, mechanical, computing, and/or other devices that include components formed of extremely low resistance (ELR) materials, including, but not limited to, modified ELR materials, layered ELR materials, and new ELR materials, are described.

A device comprises a support net with nodes, wherein each node comprises a HTS photovoltaic-magnetic cell, wherein alignments of the HTS photovoltaic-magnetic cells are arranged with N-S in parallel alignment. A device comprises a tether comprising a plurality of HTS solenoids and a sheath, wherein a solenoid of the plurality of HTS solenoids comprises a high temperature superconducting material and reinforcing fiber. A device comprises propulsion ball or plate with tail, injected in propulsion channel; HTS solenoids disposed along walls of propulsion channel, wherein the propulsion ball or plate with tail are moved through the propulsion channel using magnetic field generated by HTS solenoids; and a collection channel.

A superconductor tape and method for manufacturing, measuring, monitoring, and controlling same are disclosed. Embodiments are directed to a superconductor tape which includes a superconductor film overlying a buffer layer which overlies a substrate. In one embodiment, the superconductor film is defined as having a c-axis lattice constant higher than 11.74 Angstroms. In another embodiment, the superconductor film comprises BaMO.sub.3, where M=Zr, Sn, Ta, Nb, Hf, or Ce, and which has a (101) peak of BaMO.sub.3 elongated along an axis that is between 60 to 90 from an axis of the (001) peaks of the superconductor film. These and other embodiments achieve well-aligned nanocolumnar defects and thus a high lift factor, which can result in superior critical current performance of the tape in, for example, high magnetic fields.