Current Status of High Temperature Superconducting Materials and their Various Applications

It took longer time than initially expected for development of cuprate superconducting materials for practical applications. However, there are about 20 companies that manufacture and supply long conductors and bulk materials at present. Although various large‐scale projects have supported the process of material development, material and equipment developments have been progressing under the leadership of manufacturers in recent years. In this paper, current status of development of high‐temperature superconducting materials, including MgB 2 , which is classified as a high temperature superconductor, and their applications are summarized, along with the history, basic physical features and recent topics.