Carbon-Nanotube-Templated, Sputter-Deposited, Flexible Superconducting NbN Nanowire Yarns

Flexible superconducting yarns consisting of sputter-deposited NbN nanowires on highly aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) array sheets are reported. In the microscopic view, the NbN nanowires are formed on top of individual CNT fibrils, and the superconductivity property of the twist-spun NbN–CNT yarn system is comparable to that of a typical NbN thin film on a normal solid substrate. Because of its intrinsic porosity, the system exhibits superior mechanical flexibility with a small bending radius. It also remains a superconducting state even when subjected to severe mechanical deformations, primarily due to the proximity superconductivity through carbon nanotube bundles. The results demonstrate the possibility of fabricating flexible superconducting yarns in a conventional thin-film deposition process, using ultraflexible free-standing CNT sheets as a template. In addition, preliminary tests on reducing the normal-state resistance toward superconducting cable applications are presented.