Properties and substitutional chemistry of layered lead cuprate superconductors

This article reviews the relationship between structure and properties for a series of layered Pb-containing superconducting cuprates from the research viewpoint of the solid state chemist or materials physicist. The 0211, 1201, 1212, 1222 and 2213 structures containing (Pb,M)O layers and their derivatives are considered with the emphasis on the general physiochemical relationships observed between crystal structure, allovalent ion chemical substitution, materials processing and optimisation of superconductivity.