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Reviewing the latest research, this book covers optimized preparation techniques and superconducting compositions. Places special focus on the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O and Y-Ba-Cu-O families, which offer promising applications. Includes many illustrations and references.

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The main features of high-temperature superconductors (HTSC) that define their properties are intrinsic brittleness of oxide cuprates, the layered anisotropic structure and the supershort coherence length. Taking into account these features, this treatise presents research into HTSC microstructure and properties, and also explores the possibilities of optimization of the preparation techniques and superconducting compositions. The "composition-technique-experiment-theory-model," employed here, assumes considerable HTSC defectiveness and structure heterogeneity and helps to draw a comprehensive picture of modern representations of the microstructure, strength and the related structure-sensitive properties of the materials considered. Special attention is devoted to the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O and Y-Ba-Cu-O families, which currently offer the most promising applications. Including a great number of illustrations and references, this monograph addresses students, post-graduate students and specialists, taking part in the development, preparation and research of new materials. The new edition had been updated intensively, especially experimental investigations and modeling conductive and elastic properties of HTC superconductors have been added.

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Superconductors and Superconductivity: General Issues.- High-Temperature Superconductors: Overview.- Composition Features and HTSC Preparation Techniques.- Experimental Investigations of HTSC.- Carbon Problem.- General Aspects of HTSC Modeling.- Modeling of BSCCO Systems and Composites.- Modeling of YBCO Oxide Superconductors.- Modeling Conductive and Elastic Properties of Superconductive Composites.- Computer Simulation of HTSC Microstructure and Toughening Mechanisms.- Mechanical Destructions of HTSC Josephson Junctions and Composites.- Modeling of Electromagnetic and Superconducting Properties of HTSC.- Classification of Superconductors.- Finite Element Implementation of Carbon-Induced Embrittlement Model.- Macrostructure Modeling of Heat Conduction.- Computational Algorithms for Definition of Structure-Sensitive Properties of some HTSC Ceramics and Composites.- Eden Model.

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I.A. Parinov
South-Federal Univ, Russia

Parinov is head of the Strength Physics and Fracture Mechanics lab and is head of Vorovich mechanics and applied Mathematics institute. He published over 130 publications in fracture resistance of structure heterogeneous materials, including HTSC.

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