Challenges and Opportunities for the Applications of Unconventional Superconductors

Since the discovery of superconductors, research has shifted from simple metals to alloys and further to complex compounds. As the record of critical temperature gradually increases, more opportunities and challenges have emerged. The Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory failed to explain certain observations of unconventional superconductors. However, breakthroughs have been made on the new understanding of unconventional superconductors. This article will introduce various challenges to and opportunities for the application of unconventional superconductors, including the high-temperature superconducting fault-current limiter and the superconducting energy-storage system.