Improvement on the melt-texturing performance of a (Y,Ta)0.5BaO3–YBa2Cu3Oy composite with superconductor applications

Abstract

The aim of the article is to show the decrease in the peritectic temperature of a YBa2Cu3O7−d (Y123) superconductor phase with the Y0.5Ta0.5BaO3 (YTaBa) perovskite content. The decrease in the peritectic temperature is associated with the thermodynamic property between the Y123 and YBaTa perovskite phases (coligative property). Experimental results of the differential thermal analysis (DTA) and thermodynamic explanation are also provided. A slight displacement to a lower temperature range in the peritectic line suggests that the texturing of the Y123 material occurs under a lower temperature than the pure Y123. It seems that the required time for the melt-texturing is considerably decreased. This facilitates the performance in the texturing process. It is also found that the proposed Y123 superconductor is a potential top-seed in order to grow grains by the melt texture technique.