The applications of superconducting nanowire network fabrics

In this chapter, we discuss possible applications of superconducting nanowire network networks or fabrics, prepared by means of the electrospinning technique. As an example, we describe the preparation of such nanowire networks employing the superconductor Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O₈ (Bi-2212) and show results of the microstructural, electric and magnetic characterization. The resulting samples consist of polycrystalline nanowires with nanometer-sized grains, and the nanowires are interconnected on multiple places with each other, which enables the flow of supercurrents through the entire perimeter of the sample. The nanowire network fabrics exhibit an extremely low weight due to the small density of 0.046 g/cm³, but the samples were found to carry superconducting currents even in applied fields of up to 10T. This makes the nanowire fabrics suitable for all applications where the weight of the superconductor counts. One advantage of the electrospinning technique is the scalability which enables the growth of large-scale superconducting samples, which is currently not possible with other preparation techniques. Based on these promising results, possible applications of these nanowire fabrics are outlined.