Low-temperature melt growth of YBa 2Cu 3O 7− x/silver composites in partial vacuum

Abstract

A new version of the YBa 2Cu 3O 7− x (the 123 oxide) melt-growth (MG) process, which is carried out under greatly reduced oxygen pressures (in partial vacuum) at temperatures not higher than 950°C, is described. Some salient aspects of this process are demonstrated with examples of processing 123/Ag composites in bulk and 123-on-Ag tape forms under the conditions of 0.01⩽ P(O 2)⩽10 Torr and 920⩽ T⩽950°C. In addition to the 123 domain structure, Y 2BaCuO 5 inclusions and strong pinning typical of MG-123, the bulk composites thus synthesized contain uniformly dispersed Ag inclusions, which are effective in suppressing cracking within the 123 domains, while the 123-on-Ag tapes show c-axis preferential orientation of the 123 film normal to the Ag substrate, good oxide-substrate adhesion, and particularly negligible Ag melting. On the basis of microstructural observations, the mechanisms for the engulfment of Ag inclusions during solidification and for the enhancement in resistance to crack growth by the Ag inclusions are revealed.