Abstract: A method for producing a long length high temperature superconductor wire, includes providing a substrate, having a surface with a length of at least 50 meters and a width. The surface supports a biaxially textured high temperature superconducting layer and the biaxially textured high temperature superconducting layer has a length and a width corresponding to the length and width of the surface of the substrate. The method includes irradiating the biaxially textured high temperature superconductor layer with an ion beam impinging uniformly along the length and across the width of the biaxially textured high temperature superconductor layer to produce a uniform distribution of pinning microstructures in the biaxially textured high temperature superconductor layer.

Abstract: A method for producing a long length high temperature superconductor wire, includes providing a substrate, having a surface with a length of at least 50 meters and a width. The surface supports a biaxially textured high temperature superconducting layer and the biaxially textured high temperature superconducting layer has a length and a width corresponding to the length and width of the surface of the substrate. The method includes irradiating the biaxially textured high temperature superconductor layer with an ion beam impinging uniformly along the length and across the width of the biaxially textured high temperature superconductor layer to produce a uniform distribution of pinning microstructures in the biaxially textured high temperature superconductor layer.

Abstract: Catalytically active (001) ceria substrates or buffers are used to modify the structure of the epitaxial high temperature superconductor YBa2Cu3O7. The catalytically active substrate has a small lateral grain size, typically less than 50 nm, to provide a high density of nucleation sites, at some of which nucleate a previously unknown metastable phase. The modification is achieved by catalytically assisted synthesis of the metastable phase. The new phase, a long-period (3.5-nm) perovskite, intercalates into the YBa2Cu3O7 matrix without negatively affecting the critical temperature of the film. Analysis of electron microscopy and synchrotron X-ray diffraction data allow identification of the phase as a long-period YBa2Cu3O7 derivative formed through short-range cation displacement. The films, from about 100-nm to about 1000-nm thick, exhibit strong enhancement of the critical current density, reaching a maximum of approximately 4.2 MA/cm2 at 77 K.