Fabrication and Superconducting Properties of High T_c Oxide Wire

Abstract

Since the discovery of high Tc superconducting oxide such as Ln-Ba-Cu-O system which shows superconductivity above liquid nitrogen temperature, intensive study has been carried out to investigate its intrinsic properties[l-4]. Superconducting wire which operates in liquid nitrogen is one of the emerging products among application, however, there are many factors to be investigated for practical use. Critical current density, Jc, is one of the most important characteristics of superconductor, although, only few report describing Jc measurement ever published[5]. In this paper, fabrication procedure of silver sheathed Y-Ba-Cu-O wire by powder metallurgical technique and its superconducting properties have been reported. Other factors which may influence superconductivity such as microstructure of the oxide, configuration of wires, etc. are also discussed.

The fabrication of a ceramic superconducting wire

“…A preform consisting of finely divided Y-Ba-Cu oxide powder in a normal metal tube is swaged and drawn or rolled down to final size. Tubes of silver [1][2][3][4][5][6], copper (plus a Ni/Au diffusion barrier) [l], or stainless steel [S, 61 have been employed.…”