Superconducting materials and large scale nanostructures (SUMAN)

The scientific challenges and achievements of SUMAN comprise the areas of superconducting materials and functional oxide nanocoatings for the fields of energy transition, high energy physics and information -communication technologies, as described below.

Chemical solution deposition (CSD) has enable to demonstrate a novel high throughput TLAG-CSD method for high temperature superconducting film at ultrafast growth rates, with the help of in-situ XRD synchrotron experiments. We are evaluating the use of TLAG for fabricating superconducting joints. Furthermore, in combination with compositional gradient inkjet printing, TLAG is being used for fast materials design using machine learning algorithms

Superconductor Magnetic metasurfaces appear as a promising approach to efficiently control and guide magnetic fields at the local scale. On-chip integrated metasurfaces face a very bright future for boosting the sensitivity and efficiency of magnetic sensors, magnetic harvesters and magnetic functional devices. Additionally, electromigration effects have been exploited for electric oxygen doping control of cuprates and manganites. Moreover, we have started to explore spintronic effects in superconducting ferromagnetic hybrid systems.

In addition, we have placed superconducting coated conductors (CC) at the scene of future high energy circular accelerators, dark mater detectors for their low surface impedance properties at microwave frequencies, and nanocoated CC with current flow diverter architectures are now seriously considered also to protect high voltage dc grids.

Furthermore, CSD has demonstrated its versatility to prepare multifunctional complex oxides to be used in an all-oxide photovoltaic devices. The combination of CSD with a homebuilt atomic layer deposition reactor enabled the development of a cost-effective route to prepare freestanding multifunctional complex oxide membranes with atomic control facilitating the transition to crystalline and flexible devices.

Highlights:

• The Energy Transition Joint Lab CSIC-ALBA is officially inaugurated to boost research in batteries and superconductors
• A plenary talk about the impact of the high growth rates on the microstructure and vortex pinning of TLAG coated conductors for applications is lectured by Prof. T. Puig at 59ª edición del Congreso Nacional de la Sociedad Española de Cerámica y Vidrio (Zaragoza, Spain)
• In the framework of DarkQuantum ERC-Synergy Grant and RADES collaboration, first experiments of Axions Dark Matter search are carried out at CERN installations with coated cavities with HTS superconducting tapes
• The patent about new precursor solution suitable for the preparation of high performance epitaxial REBa2Cu3O7-x superconductors (PCT/EP2023/070988) has entered to international phases in Europe, USA, Japan and South Korea.