Research Interests:
Growth of state-of-the-art single crystals of high Tc superconducting cuprates: This work is a vital part of broad international research collaboration on solving the problem of high Tc superconductivity. The success in development of BaZrO3 ceramics, the only known material that is inert in corrosive BaO-CuO melt, has made it possible to grow YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO) single crystals with higher than 99.995% purity. The extensive studies on chemical and thermodynamic behaviors of YBCO have enabled the precise controls of the oxygen stoichiometry and ordering in YBCO crystals. In addition, TlBa2CuO 6+x crystals have been successfully grown, which allow research into to the so-called "overdoped" region of high Tc superconductivity (not accessable with YBCO). These state-of-the-art crystals have be supplied to many research groups around the world, and generated 170 publications, including 7 in Nature, 2 in Science, 6 in Nature Physics and 40 in Physical Review Letters.