Effect of Ag2O addition on the trapped fields and mechanical properties of Nd–Ba–Cu–O bulk superconductors

Abstract

We investigated the effect of Ag2O addition on the microstructures, the superconducting properties, the field-trapping capabilities and the mechanical properties of Nd–Ba–Cu–O (Nd123:Nd422 = 10:2) bulk superconductors. The samples were added with 10 wt% and 20 wt% Ag2O and grown in 1% O2–Ar atmosphere. The superconducting properties and the field-trapping capabilities were not affected by Ag2O content; however, the mechanical properties were greatly improved with increasing Ag2O content. The sample with 20 wt% Ag2O exhibited the Weibull coefficient exceeding 13.