Melt-processible rare earth-Ba-Cu-O superconductors based on molten Ba-Cu oxides

Abstract

Ba-Cu oxides with certain compositions were found to be meltable or partly meltable at a relatively low temperature of 950 °C. High-quality, dense, and void-free high-temperature superconductors based on rare earth(RE)-Ba-Cu oxides of the form REBa2Cu3O6.5+x have been made by reactions between molten Ba-Cu oxides and solid RE-containing materials at the same temperature. This has allowed superconductive components to be made in a wide variety of shapes. This melt process will significantly alter oxide superconductor preparation procedures, and will allow growth of large single crystals aiding in the understanding of the mechanism of superconductivity and in the search for superconductivity at even higher transition temperatures.