Strongly enhanced irreversibility field and flux pinning force density in SmBa2Cu3Oy-coated conductors with well-aligned BaHfO3 nanorods

Abstract

A high flux pinning performance was obtained for a 3.8 vol % BaHfO3-doped SmBa2Cu3Oy superconducting film on a metallic substrate. At a temperature of 77.3 K, an irreversibility field of 16.8 T and the maximum flux pinning force density of 32.5 GN/m3 in fields applied parallel to the c-axis of the film were achieved, which are the highest values reported thus far for REBa2Cu3Oy films, to our knowledge. The introduction of well-aligned BaHfO3 nanorods with a high number density into REBa2Cu3Oy films with little or no degradation of the critical temperature is an effective method for improving the flux pinning performance.