ABSTRACT
Since the discovery of the high-7^ (critical temperature) compound Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10, or Bi(2223), by Maeda et al. [1], an important effort has been undertaken worldwide in order to demonstrate its potential for industrial applications. The Ag-sheathed tapes based on Pbstabilized Bi(2223), abbreviated as Bi,Pb(223), can be used in a wide temperature range, which extends from 77 K to 4.2 K. Although the extraordinary metallurgical complexity of the multinary system Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-0 in the region of the Bi,Pb(2223) phase has been a considerable obstacle in view of the fabrication of industrial tapes, the last 2 years have been marked by a substantial progress, which was essentially obtained by industrial manufacturers, mainly in Japan, but also in the United States.
