An industrial R&D programme is ongoing at SuperOx, aimed at improving 2G HTS wire performance in magnetic field. We introduce perovskite artificial pinning centres (APC) into the HTS layer matrix. In contrast to most studies described in the literature, we use the high rate production processing parameters and PLD equipment at SuperOx. This paper reports the results of Phase I of this programme. We fabricated 2G HTS wires by pulsed laser deposition of GdBCO films doped with 6%, 12% and 18% (molar) of BaSnO3 and 6% (molar) of BaZrO3, and compared their performance with an undoped reference sample. The depositions were carried out at production growth rates of 375, 560 and 750 nm min−1 by varying laser pulse frequency. BaZrO3 and BaSnO3 formed columnar semi-coherent nanoinclusions in the GdBCO film matrix. The average transverse size of the nanocolumns was about 5 nm, and their volume density correlated with the dopant concentration. All doped samples exhibited much lower angular anisotropy of in-field critical current and higher lift-factors than the undoped sample. Samples containing 6% BaSnO3 and deposited at the lower growth rates, had higher Ic than the undoped sample in the entire temperature range, in a wide range of magnetic field (B//c). The sample containing 6% BaZrO3 had higher Ic than the undoped sample at 20 and 4.2 K. These results are an encouraging start of our programme, as they show a positive impact of APC introduced into 2G HTS wires fabricated at production throughput. Phase II work will be focussed on maximising the improvements in specific temperature and field conditions, as well as on the verification of reproducibility of the improvements in production wires.
We have studied the influence of BaZrO3 nanoinclusions on the local structure and critical current density of second-generation high temperature superconducting tapes based on YBa2Cu3O7−δ (YBCO) films. The films were made by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The crystal and local structure of the materials under study were analysed by x-ray diffraction and x-ray absorption spectroscopy (EXAFS + XANES). We have found that, being added at MOCVD process, Zr forms BaZrO3 nanoinclusions in YBCO matrix. The distance between Zr and the neighboring atoms is shorter than that one in a bulk crystalline BaZrO3, so we conclude that the nanoinclusions are in compressed state. The incorporation of 5 mol% BaZrO3 minimizes the static disorder of Cu–O bonds and maximizes their stiffness in YBCO. We show that the local structure peculiarities correlate well with the observed critical current behavior and consider this to be additional evidence in favor of small amounts of BaZrO3 nanoinclusions as efficient pinning centers.
We investigate the field, angle and temperature dependence of the full-width critical current, I
c, of pulsed laser deposition-grown GdBa2Cu3O7 coated conductors with and without additional 6 mol% BaSnO3 (BSO) nanoparticles fabricated by SuperOx. The transport characteristics measured from 7 to 77 K and in applied magnetic fields of up to 6 T are complemented by scanning transmission electron microscopy. This combined approach allows for further insight into the vortex pinning mechanism and helps with understanding the enhancement in I
c. An exemplary scaling of the pinning force curves versus field at different temperatures confirms the additional contribution to pinning by the BSO nanoparticles. Through the temperature dependence of I
c, the weak and strong pinning contributions are determined: strong pinning dominates over almost the entire temperature range especially near the matching field of 1 T, where the largest enhancement in I
c is achieved.
The microstructure of GdBa2Cu3O7−δ based on superconducting tapes with BaSnO3 and BaZrO3 artificial pinning centers formed by high-rate pulse laser deposition in SuperOx Japan was studied by scanning/transmission electron microscopy. The artificial pinning centers have adopted columnar morphology with average diameter of about 8 nm (BaSnO3-doped sample) and 6.5 nm (BaZrO3-doped sample) and density of 500 μm−2 for the both samples. The average length of the BaSnO3 nanocolumns is about two times higher than the BaZrO3 nanocolumns. The angular dependences of critical current in magnetic field up to 1 Tesla at 77 and 65 K have been obtained. The critical current and its anisotropy depend on artificial pinning centers presence and their type. The angular dependence of resistivity in the field up to 9 Tesla was also studied and discussed.
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