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Despite its name, high-temperature superconductivity still occurs at cryogenic temperatures. The main difference from low-temperature superconductivity is usually that 'high-Tc' superconductors can use liquid nitrogen (at 77 K) as a coolant while low-temperature superconductors always need liquid helium (4.2 K) temperatures and below.
Most prominent materials in the high-Tc range are the so-called cuprates, i.e. YBCO (Yttrium-Barium-Copper-Oxide) and related substances.
All known high-Tc superconductors are so-called Type-II superconductors.
A Type-II superconductor allows magnetic field to penerate its interior
in the units of flux quanta, creating 'holes' (or tubes)
of normal metallic regions in the superconducting bulk.
This property makes high-Tc superconductors capable of sustaining
much higher magnetic fields.
See also
High-temperature superconductor
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