Despite its name, high-temperature superconductivity still occurs at cryogenic temperatures. The main difference from low-temperature superconductivity is usually that 'high-T_c' 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-T_c range are the so-called cuprates, i.e. YBCO (Yttrium-Barium-Copper-Oxide) and related substances.

All known high-T_c 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-T_c superconductors capable of sustaining much higher magnetic fields.

See also

High-temperature superconductor