ABSTRACT
This chapter is dedicated to superconducting materials, demonstrating zero measured electrical resistance to direct current under certain conditions. More specifically, it is noticed that superconductivity is only observed below critical (transition) temperatures, current densities, and magnetic fields. The discussion continues with explaining the phenomenon of superconductivity in the framework of the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory for low-temperature superconductors. Complications of the BCS theory application to understand the behavior of high-temperature superconductors are briefly considered. State-of-the-art superconducting materials for energy applications are afterward discussed. Those applications include electric transmission lines and energy storage systems as well as short- and long-distance transportation.
