title: 'Beautiful' unconventional synthesis and processing technologies of superconductors and some other materials.
abstract: Superconducting materials have contributed significantly to the development of modern materials science and engineering. Specific technological solutions for their synthesis and processing helped in understanding the principles and approaches to the design, fabrication and application of many other materials. In this review, we explore the bidirectional relationship between the general and particular synthesis concepts. The analysis is mostly based on our studies where some unconventional technologies were applied to different superconductors and some other materials. These technologies include spray-frozen freeze-drying, fast pyrolysis, field-assisted sintering (or spark plasma sintering), nanoblasting, processing in high magnetic fields, methods of control of supersaturation and migration during film growth, and mechanical treatments of composite wires. The analysis provides future research directions and some key elements to define the concept of 'beautiful' technology in materials science. It also reconfirms the key position and importance of superconductors in the development of new materials and unconventional synthesis approaches.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Materials Physics, Atomistilor 105bis, Magurele, Ilfov 077125, Romania.
authors.forename: Petre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Badica
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Materials Physics, Atomistilor 105bis, Magurele, Ilfov 077125, Romania; School of Metallurgy and Materials, Birmingham University, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Crisan
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Materials Physics, Atomistilor 105bis, Magurele, Ilfov 077125, Romania.
authors.forename: Gheorghe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aldica
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratory for Integrated Technological Systems, Kanazawa Institute of Technology (KIT), 3-1 Yatsukaho, Hakusan, Ishikawa 924-0838, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.affiliation: Institute for Materials Science, NASU, 3, Krzhizhanivsky, Kiev 03680, Ukraine.
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Borodianska
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Materials Science, 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazumasa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Togano
authors.affiliation: Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Awaji
authors.affiliation: Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Materials Science, 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sakka
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Materials Science, 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047, Japan.
authors.forename: Oleg
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Vasylkiv
keywords: Ag; La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.9Mg0.1O3; La1−xSrxMnO3; MgB2; MgO; MoO3; Nb3Sn; Sr–Ca–Cu–O; Tl–Ba–Ca–Cu–O; Y–Ba–Cu–O; cables; coated conductors; composites; critical current density; nanodots; nanopowders; pinning centers; precipitates; superconductors; thin films; whiskers