Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona

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Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona

The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) is the largest public institution dedicated to research in Spain and the third largest in Europe. In FASTGRID CSIC represents the ICMAB and the “Superconducting materials and large scale nanostructures” department as leader in growth and characterization of superconducting coated conductors by chemical routes, including nanostructuration approaches. The group has also a large experience in the integration of superconducting materials into power devices such as generators, cables and Fault Current Limiters. CSIC will develop novel interfacial layers by CSD and shunts, which may work as CFDs and this knowledge will be transferred to the CC manufacturers Oxolutia and Theva which will be in charge of scaling up this innovation idea for current limiters. Additionally,CSIC will collaborate with Tel Aviv University and Oxolutia in the development of the emerging approach of conductors for current limitation based on sapphire substrates.

Read more about ICMAB CSIC

  • Nanoscale strain-induced pair suppression as a vortex-pinning mechanism in high-temperature superconductors. A. Llordés, A. Palau, J. Gázquez, M. Coll, R. Vlad, A. Pomar, J. Arbiol, R. Guzmán, S. Ye, V. Rouco, F. Sandiumenge, S. Ricart, T. Puig, M. Varela, D. Chateigner, J. Vanacken, J. Gutiérrez, V. Moshchalkov, G. Deutscher, C. Magen, X. Obradors. NATURE MATERIALS 11, 329-336 (2012).
  • Strong isotropic flux pinning in solution-derived YBa2Cu3O7-x nanocomposite superconductor films. J.Gutiérrez, A.Llordés, J.Gázquez, M. Gibert, N. Romá, S. Ricart, A. Pomar, F. Sandiumenge, N. Mestres, T. Puig, X. Obradors. NATURE MATERIALS 6, 367-373 (2007).
  • Magnetic and structural characterization of inkjet-printed TFAYBa2Cu3O7−x/MODCZO/ABADYSZ/SS coated conductors. E. Bartolome, R. Vlad, A. Calleja, M. Aklalouch, R. Guzman, J Arbiol, X. Granados, A. Palau, X. Obradors, T. Puig and A. Usokin. Superconductor Science and Technology 26, 125004 (2013).
  • Coated conductors for power applications: materials challenges. X. Obradors and T. Puig. Superconductor Science and Technology 27 (2014).
  • Growth, nanostructure and vortex pinning in superconducting YBa2Cu3O7 thin films based on trifluoroacetate solutions. X Obradors, T Puig, S Ricart, M Coll, J Gazquez, A Palau and X Granados. Superconductor Science and Technology 25, 123001-33 (2012).
  • Utrafast growth of ultrahigh performance superconducting tapes, ULTRASUPERTAPE. European Union (EU) ERC-2014-ADG-669504. IP: Prof. T. Puig (ICMAB-CSIC). Total cost: 2.496.652€.
  • European development of Superconducting tapes: integrating novel materials and architectures into cost effective processes for power applications and magnets, EUROTAPES. European Union (EU), FP7-NMP-Large-2011-280432. IP: Prof. X. Obradors (ICMAB-CSIC). Total cost: 20 M€.
  • Development and field testing of an efficient YBCO coated conductor based Fault Current Limiter for Operation in Electricity Networks, ECCOFLOW. European Union (EU), FP7-ENERGY- 2009-1-241285-2. IP: J. M. Saugrain (Nexans).Total cost: 4.637.451 €.
  • Efficient Environmental – Friendly Electro – Ceramics Coating Technology and Synthesis, EFECTS.  European Union (EU), FP7-NMP-2007-SMALL-1 – 205854. IP: Prof. I. Van Driesche (Ghent University). Total cost: 3.862.634€
  • High performance nanostructured coated conductors by chemical processing, HIPERCHEM.  European Union (EU), FP6-NMP-2003-516858. IP: Prof. X. Obradors (ICMAB-CSIC). Total cost: 2.341.350€.
  • Low Temperatures and Magnetometry Service devoted to the measurement of the magnetic, electric properties under specific conditions of external magnetic field and temperature with two magnetometers and two high magnetic field multiuse cryostats.
  • Nanostructuration Platform Clean room facility (10.000 class, 5 laboratories with 220 m2 high humidity control) with about 30 equipments devoted to lithography, nanoscale and physico-chemical characterization and bottom-up nanofabrication and chemical synthesis
  • X-ray Diffraction: Two powder diffractometers and a GADDS instrument
  • Scanning Probe Microscopy: Three AFMs with different functionalities
  • Thin Films Lab: pulsed laser deposition (PLD) for oxides, including RHEED control of thickness, and sputtering for metals.
  • Electron Microscopy: Transmission and Scanning Electron Microscopes including a TEM sample preparation platform shared with ICN2
  • - Laboratory of transport and mechanical properties of superconducting tapes

Prof. Francesc Xavier Obradors Berenguer: Research Professor and Director of the ICMAB-CSIC (recently awarded with Severo Ochoa excellence center distinction). He has been leading a multidisciplinary group in Superconductivity for 20 years, having a large expertise in magnetism, superconductivity and nanotechnology, and authoring more than 500 publications. He has coordinated several national, EU and transcontinental research projects either on preparation of superconducting materials as on applications development. Nowadays is coordinating the biggest EU project on superconductivity, EUROTAPES, to develop coated conductors at low cost. He is member of the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Barcelona and he has received several national and international awards. He has also authored 15 patents and has a large experience of collaboration with industry.

Prof. María Teresa Puig Molina: Research Professor and Head of the “Superconducting materials and large scale nanostructures” Department at ICMAB since 2008. She pushed the department to a world-leadership position in the area of high temperature superconducting films grown by chemical solution deposition which has culminated with her just awarded ERC-2014 Advanced Grant. She has strong experience in the physics of superconducting materials and also in the development of their applications. She has authored more than 250 publications and 11 patents, and she has led several national and EU projects.  

Dr. Javier Alberto José Granados García: Tenured Scientist. President of the High Temperature Superconductors Modelling Workgroup. He has authored more than 70 publications. He has large experience in conductor characterization and materials integration in power devices, participating in several EU and national projects and leading ICMAB contribution in some of them.

Dr. Susana Ricart Miró: Tenured Scientist. She has authored almost 100 publications and she has large expertise in preparing chemical solutions for oxide thin films and nanoparticles preparation.