Scientists say that in some cases, low-temperature superconductors will give better performance than high-temperature materials.

With the right high-temperature materials, no radiator would be needed, leaving more heat available to do work and increase fuel economy.

And one of the first high-temperature materials may just be on the verge of major commercial success.

The agreement is part of an effort to find commercial applications for technologies such as advanced high-temperature materials developed by the labs during the cold war.

I've spent 10 years in the Research and Technology Directorate as a materials scientist evaluating high-temperature materials for aircraft and re-entry vehicles.

An often-cited example of what might be lost in such a shift is the discovery of high-temperature superconducting materials made at the Zurich laboratory in 1986.

It was recognised that high-temperature materials were the key to the successful development of AD700 technology.

The Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation said it would study the applications of high-temperature superconductive materials on electronic devices.

This typical method is the typical method used in industry but requires high-temperature compatible materials, such as special high temperature glass that is expensive to produce.

Over the course of a few months, four separate announcements were made that revealed an entirely new class of high-temperature superconducting materials.