The composition and structure of the boundary between superconducting and stabilizing layers in a taped high-temperature superconductor of the second generation are studied by means of scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The superconducting and stabilizing layers are fabricated on the basis of a GdBa2Cu3O y oxide layer and metallic silver, respectively. It is shown that nanosized pores 15–30 nm in diameter are located on the boundary from the side of silver layer. The presence of these pores likely determines the magnitude of the interface resistance between the superconducting and stabilizing layers.

Commercial high-T c superconducting tape produced by Superpower Inc. (the U.S.A.) is studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The superconductor structure is shown to consist of a superconducting layer of average composition GdBa1.5Cu2.5–3.0O y coated by a silver layer and buffer layers of LaMnO3, MgO,Y2O3, and Al2O3 deposited on a metallic tape of nickel alloy (Ni-Cr-Mo-Fe-W-Co-Mn). The superconducting layer is formed by the superconducting oxide GdBa2Cu3O y containing lamellar inclusions Gd2O3.

Metal matrix composites (MMCs) containing matrices with nanometer grain sizes have been produced from pure aluminum nano-powders (particle sizes 50-200 nm) with SiC reinforcement (particle sizes 3-10 {micro}m). The pure Al nano-powders were produced using an exploding wire technique. Dynamic loading using a magnetic impulse technique has been used to compact the MMC to high density. The dynamic compaction process results in excellent wetting of the SiC particles by the nanocrystalline Al powders, and the retention of a nano-crystalline grain size in the MMC. Microstructural analysis of the resulting MMC showed a highly uniform distribution of Sic particles with no visible defects or pores and the absence of deleterious phases (such as Al{sub 4}C{sub 3}) at the interfaces between the aluminum nano-grains and the SiC particles. The microstructures produced and the evolution of microstructure during dynamic compaction has also been studied using TEM and found to progress in three stages. These three stages are described.

Nanobridges are fabricated from lanthanum-strontium anganite deposited on Si 3 N 4 membranes perforated by a focused ion beam. The magnetoresistance is ≈9% in fields of ∼ kOe. Nonlinearity of the current-voltage characteristic of the bridges is observed, and it is found that the maximum of the resistance is shifted to lower temperatures from that of a control film sample of composition La 0.8 Sr 0.2 MnO 3 .

The angular dependences of the ion-electron emission coefficient of copper and molybdenum samples with plane and spherical surfaces are studied. It is found that the general increase of the ion-electron emission coefficient of single- and polycrystals follows the same law at small incidence angles and obeys different laws at large ones.