The International Cryogenic Materials Conference (ICMC 2004)

Abstract

The International Cryogenic Materials Conference entitled `Materials Processing, Microstructures and Critical Current of Superconductors' was hosted by the Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, on 10-13 February 2004.The objective of this ICMC topical conference was to bring together world experts in materials processing, characterization and microstructure control of modern superconductors, to discuss the critical issues in superconductor technology and application. Topics of the conference included: processing of wires, tapes, coated conductors, melt textured bulk forms and thin films; synthesis of new materials; microstructure control; critical current density and current-limiting mechanisms; flux pinning, flux dynamics and AC loss; and applications of superconductors.The scientific challenges in the development of high field and high temperature superconductors (HTS) are interdisciplinary in nature, a characteristic very well reflected by the wide spectrum of participants at the conference. The workshop attracted 90 participants from 20 countries. These researchers were from the fields of chemistry, physics, materials science, electrical engineering and electronics. Applied superconductivity has developed to the stage where a range of valuable materials have been identified and characterized, and many of the problems of fabrication into long lengths or thin films have been overcome. The conference programme covered BSCCO, YBCO, MgB2 and other related materials, and characterization of their electromagnetic properties. As is well known, applications of Nb-Ti and Nb3Sn wires are well advanced for MRI, NMR and many accelerator magnets. Bi-2223 wires from a number of companies have reached the level required for initial introduction into commercial applications. Bringing HTS and MgB2 wires to large-scale commercial application depends critically on understanding and further exploiting the full potential of these complex nanomaterials.The workshop was lively, informative and successful with many high quality oral and poster presentations. The papers selected for this issue after review represent a good cross-section of the work presented at the conference.The members of the workshop organizing committee contributed much of their spare time to the organization of the conference. In particular, we would like to acknowledge Dr Alex Pan and Dr Meng Jun Qin for their excellent work on the workshop programme and Mrs Babs Allen for her assistance in all aspects of the workshop. We would also like to thank the ICMC board and ISEM at the University of Wollongong for their financial support.