Fabrication of Superconducting Nanowires Using the Template Method.

The fabrication and characterization of superconducting nanowires fabricated by the anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) template technique has been reviewed. This templating method was applied to conventional metallic superconductors, as well as to several high-temperature superconductors (HTSc). For filling the templates with superconducting material, several different techniques have been applied in the literature, including electrodeposition, sol-gel techniques, sputtering, and melting. Here, we discuss the various superconducting materials employed and the results obtained. The arising problems in the fabrication process and the difficulties concerning the separation of the nanowires from the templates are pointed out in detail. Furthermore, we compare HTSc nanowires prepared by AAO templating and electrospinning with each other, and give an outlook to further research directions.