This talk gives an introduction of the history of high temperature superconductor materials since the first discovered cuprate YBCO with Tc=92 K in 1986, followed on the development of other high Tc Type II compounds, including NaxCoO2, iron-based (iron-age) pnictides and topologicals. Although the Tc of newly discovered materials is not higher than cuprates, an entire new field on superconductivity has been opened, established and still in progress. The talk also gives some typical samples of superconductors in their preparation, crystal growth and characterization.  Finally present a short video to show the live crystal growth experiment using floating zone method.

It is a realistic challenge in materials sciences to search for new superconducting materials with higher Tc and/or to enhance Tc of the known superconducting materials. A message that the author would like to pass to researchers, especially young researchers and graduate students, is not to give up the challenges to the problems of high-temperature superconductivity.

林成天博士于山东大学晶体材料专业获得本科学位，中科院物理所获得硕士学位，美国麻省理工学院获得博士学位，并曾在英国剑桥大学从事博士后研究，现在担任德国斯图加特马普固体研究所晶体生长组的负责人。他的主要研究方向是多种高质量超导体晶体的生长和表征。