Synthesis and properties of Tl–Ba–Ca–Cu–O superconductors

Abstract

We review the synthesis methods and properties of single crystal, powder, and thin film TlBaCaCuO high-temperature superconducting (Tl-HTS) materials. With transition temperatures ≥ 100 K for several compounds, Tl-HTS materials present real opportunities for applications above 77 K. Experiments using (1) single crystals: determined precise structural parameters and identified the complex Tl1+–Tl3+ equilibrium model; (2) powders: studied the complex thermodynamic phase diagram; and (3) epitaxial films: studied fundamental properties such as electron pair symmetry and the effect of controlled extrinsic defects on flux pinning strength, as well as providing the large-area surfaces required for device applications.