Melt-textured Growth Research Articles

CYTOSKELETON DYNAMICS AND SPATIAL ORGANIZATION DURING EPITHELIAL-TO-MESENCHYMAL TRANSITION

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a crucial process that occurs during normal development, such as embryogenesis and organ formation. If it is inappropriately activated, it can lead to pathological processes like metastasis. Although EMT is well studied at the morphological and transcriptome level, cytoskeleton changes during this process are less understood. In our work we aimed to describe the morphological changes that occurred in MCF-7, A-549 and HaCaT cells after EMT, analyze microtubule dynamics, spatial distribution and its contribution to cell motility, identify changes in actin filament organization and study focal adhesion turnover in the cells after EMT. We hypothesized that the dynamics of microtubules in cells undergoing EMT might change. Cells undergoing EMT were expected to have more dynamic microtubules. Also, cells undergoing EMT are expected to adhere more efficiently to diverse substrates, and therefore spread and move more easily. Focal contacts in cells undergoing EMT were expected to be more pronounced and dynamic than in cells that not undergoing EMT. The research methods used in the study included inducing EMT in modified MCF-7 cells through an inserted inducible Tet-on system and stimulation of EMT in A-549 and HaCaT cells using TGF-β. The cells were observed using bright field microscopy, and immunofluorescence analysis was conducted to visualize microtubules and actin filaments. Transfection with EB-3–RFP protein was done to describe and measure microtubule dynamics, while transduction with Talin-RFP and transient transfection with Ptag-RFP-vinculin was done to visualize focal adhesions. Time-lapse fluorescent microscopy was used to record films, and the Fiji Image J program was used to analyze the data. All statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism (Dotmatics, USA), and a nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test or parametric t-test with Welch correction. The actin filament measurements were completed using Matlab scripts. The major research findings: In all three-cell models after EMT, cell morphology changed. Cells increased in size. MCF-7 and HaCaT became spread out, while A-549 became elongated. Some of the cells lost cell-cell contacts. All three cell models after EMT had alterations in microtubule organization and dynamics. MCF-7 and HaCaT cells showed more frequently individual MTs at cell edges, while A-549 had less covered nucleus by MTs after EMT. Microtubule dynamics (growth velocity) increased, and the length of microtubule growth tracks became longer. The average angle of MT growth trajectories to cell radius decreased. Actin fibers rearranged into more pronounced stress fibers after EMT. Alterations in the focal adhesion behaviors were different in three models used. These results indicate that cytoskeletal changes during EMT mainly include increased microtubule dynamics.

Microstructural Nonuniformity of GdBCO Superconductor Bulk

High-temperature superconducting materials REBa2Cu3O7-δ(REBCO or RE123, RE is a rare earth), can widely be used in electric motors, nuclear magnetic resonance and other fields, because these can trap strong magnetic fields. The top-seeded melt-texture growth method is widely chosen in the preparation and performance research of various REBCO superconductor bulks, which can effectively suppress random nucleation and reduce weak connections between grains, etc. However, the superconductor bulks prepared by this method often have the problem of uniformed microstructure. A single-domain GdBCO superconductor bulk with NdBCO single-seed guidance and Y123 liquid source was successfully growth using the top-seeded melt-texture growth method, and the microscopic morphology of the samples were studied, which exhibits the microstructural nonuniformity of GdBCO superconductor bulk. The specimens at different positions, C1, C2 below the seed, P1, P2 below the cross pattern, of the bulk exhibit critical transition temperature, TC , higher than 94.5 K, with a maximum value of 95.9 K, demonstrating superior superconductivity. Cracks and pores are unevenly distributed in GdBCO superconductor bulk, and the pores mainly gather in the area below the seed and far from the upper surface. At the same distance from the upper surface, specimens below the cross pattern have higher self-field JC values (P1>C1, P2>C2) than specimens below the seed, which should be related to the nonuniformity of the pores.

The Performance of the Two-Seeded GdBCO Superconductor Bulk with the Buffer by the Modified TSMG Method.

The multiseeding technique is a method to grow large-sized REBa2Cu3O7-δ (REBCO, where RE is a rare earth element) high temperature superconducting bulks. However, due to the existence of grain boundaries between seed crystals, the superconducting properties of bulks are not always better than those of single grain bulks. In order to improve the superconducting properties caused by grain boundaries, we introduced buffer layers with a diameter of 6 mm in the growth of GdBCO bulks. Using the modified top-seeded melt texture growth method (TSMG), that is, YBa2Cu3O7-δ (Y123) as the liquid phase source, two GdBCO superconducting bulks with buffer layers with a diameter of 25 mm and a thickness of 12 mm were successfully prepared. The seed crystal arrangement of two GdBCO bulks with a distance of 12 mm were (100/100) and (110/110), respectively. The trapped field of the GdBCO superconductor bulks exhibited two peaks. The maximum peaks of superconductor bulk SA (100/100) were 0.30 T and 0.23 T, and the maximum peaks of superconductor bulk SB (110/110) were 0.35 T and 0.29 T. The critical transition temperature remained between 94 K and 96 K, with superior superconducting properties. The maximum JC, self-field of SA appeared in specimen b5, which was 4.5 × 104 A/cm2. Compared with SA, the JC value of SB had obvious advantages in a low magnetic field, medium magnetic field and high magnetic field. The maximum JC, self-field value appeared in specimen b2, which was 4.65 × 104 A/cm2. At the same time, it showed an obvious second peak effect, which was attributed to Gd/Ba substitution. Liquid phase source Y123 increased the concentration of the Gd solute dissolved from Gd211 particles, reduced the size of Gd211 particles and optimized JC. For SA and SB under the joint action of the buffer and the Y123 liquid source, except for the contribution of Gd211 particles to be the magnetic flux pinning center with the improvement of JC, the pores also played a positive role in improving the local JC. More residual melts and impurity phases were observed in SA than in SB, which had a negative impact on the superconducting properties. Thus, SB exhibited a better trapped field and JC.

Inverse-Doped Melt-Textured Gd1212 Superconductors Samples: Normal State Raman Characterisation Study

Gd1212 (GdSr <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> RuCu <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> O <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">8-y</sub> ) is a superconductor, isostructural to Y123 (YBa <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> Cu <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> O <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">7-x</sub> ), whose high interest is due to the coexistence of superconducting and magnetic ordered phases in the same unit cell. Up to now the best superconducting properties for Gd1212 have been achieved by TSG (Top-Seeded Melt-Textured growth), a well-known technique used to grow high quality samples from High Temperature Superconductors characterized by a peritectic melting reaction. Due to the relevant production of liquid during the melting of Y123-like materials, the standard TSG procedure involves the addition of secondary phases in the starting powders mixture, generally the peritectic solid phase or one of its precursors, to enhance the structural stability of pellets during the process. This practice also provides additional pinning centers in the final samples, improving their Superconducting features. Unfortunately, Gd1212 peritectic reaction produces an insufficient amount of liquid phase, so preventing from obtaining wide crystallographic domains, and the addition of the peritectic solid phase Gd1210 (GdSr <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> RuO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">6</sub> ), although beneficial on the superconducting properties, even worsen this problem. In this work we tried to grow larger Gd1212 domains by inverting the usual approach: i.e., by adding in the precursor powders some peritectic liquid phase (CuO) instead of Gd1210. Anyway, previous analyses suggested us that the chemistry of Gd1212 melting may change for excess CuO mixtures. We have characterized the obtained samples by means of Raman spectroscopy and mapping, data were compared with those of Gd1210-doped and pure Gd1212 samples, results confirm our hypothesis of different melting reaction for CuO rich samples.

Flux Pinning Properties of Single-Grain Bulk GdBCO Superconductors Processed by Different Thicknesses of Y123 Liquid Source.

The performance of critical current density of GdBa2Cu3O7−δ (GdBCO or Gd123) superconductor bulk has an important influence on its practical applications. In this work, four single-domain GdBCO superconductor bulks were successfully processed by the modified top-seeded melt-texture growth method. The addition of a YBa2Cu3O7−δ (Y123) liquid source with different thicknesses, 0 mm (S0), 3 mm (S3), 5 mm (S5), 7 mm (S7), was introduced to study the influence on the superconducting properties. GdBCO bulk with the addition of the Y123 liquid source with a 3-mm thickness shows the best superconducting properties. The addition of the Y123 liquid source results in a decrease in the Gd3+ ion concentration required for Gd123 growth; thus, Gd2BaCuO5 (Gd211) particles in the liquid source need a larger self-decomposition to diffuse Gd3+ ions to Gd123 growth front, which refines the size and leads to a homogenous distribution of the Gd211 particles in the bulks. Thus, the more pinning centers of fined Gd211 particles improve the superconducting properties of GdBCO bulk. With increases in the thickness of Y123 liquid source to 5 mm and 7 mm, high RE3+ (Gd3+ and Y3+) concentration can coarsen Gd211 particles and fuse with Gd211 liquid source. The superconducting properties apparently drop. Therefore, the addition of a Y123 liquid source with a suitable thickness is a positive modification to obtain high-performance GdBCO bulk.

Strictly application-oriented REBCO bulk fabrication

The ability to produce large-grain REBCO (RE=Y, Rare Earth) bulk superconductors by melt texturing growth has been improved and refined significantly over the last 20 years. Magnetic bearings, transportation systems, and scientific instrumentation are becoming major innovations of HTS bulk materials. Large grain production is dominated by cold top-seeding melt growth (TSMG). For material optimizing we demonstrate strictly application-oriented fabrication close to the final geometry and thus reducing mechanical machining and assembling work. YBCO hollow cylinder design for journal bearings with radial c axes orientation are obtained by radial-seeding geometry (RSMG). YBCO ring tiles up 120 mm show a perfect cylinder geometry with in-wall a, b orientation and radial c axes. We report improved electric and mechanical bulk properties and demonstrate great production effectiveness. For achieving high field permanent magnets up to 10 T we compare YBCO bulk and ring geometry. Top/bottom double seeded melt growth (DSMG) grain samples provide better magnetic flux trapping capability and show more homogenous properties.

Attraction and repulsion forces in melt-textured and sintered YBCO-superconductors: a comparative study

In this paper, we measure the attraction (suspension) and repulsion (levitation) forces produced by the interaction between a permanent magnet and different bulk superconductors. The measurements of the interaction force HTS-PM were carried out with a relatively simple technique developed by us, which is reproducible, reliable and low cost. The obtained results were analyzed with the Bean’s critical-state model assuming a uniform magnetic field applied to the superconductor. Two superconducting samples of YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) prepared by solid-state reaction method and by the melt-textured growth method (MTG) were used. Both samples presented a different hysteresis behaviour in the field cooling (FC) and zero field cooling (ZFC) regimes. Levitation and suspension phenomena were observed in the MTG sample; however, the sintered sample (S) with Oxygen deficiencies (δ &gt; 0.15) displayed a slight levitation force but did not show a suspension force, the latter one attributed to a more efficient magnetic flux pinning. Additionally, the critical current density of both samples was determined from the maximum gap of the force (ΔF) in the FC regime. The obtained values were between 43.00 A/cm2 and 2,758 A/cm2 for the sintered and MTG samples, respectively. These values show a remarkable difference between sintered and MTG samples like that observed from magnetization measurements, which indicate that attraction and repulsion force measurements could provide a rapid and reliable characterization method of polycrystalline superconducting samples.

A Practical Processing Method for the Fabrication of NdBCO Seed Crystals and High-Performance Single-Domain GdBCO Bulk Superconductors

NdBCO seed crystals and high-performance GdBCO bulk superconductors were prepared successfully by a modified top-seeded melt-textured growth (TSMG) process and by Gd + 011 top-seeded infiltration growth (TSIG) process. The modified TSMG process used a new composition powder (NCP, 0.9 Nd2O3 + 2.4 BaCuO2 + CuO) instead of the conventional composition powder (CCP, NdBa2Cu3O7-x + 0.4 Nd2BaCuO5), the GdBCO bulk superconductor seeded by the self-made NdBCO seed crystal. In the whole procedure above, only one precursor powder (BaCuO2) needs to be sintered, three kinds of powder and three pellets are required, so time and energy consumption were greatly reduced. The results of thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed the reaction mechanism of the modified TSMG process. Superconductivity properties of the GdBCO sample were measured employing a levitation force measurement system and a vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM); the maximum value of the levitation force of the GdBCO sample was 44.78 N (77 k, 0.5 T); the onset superconductivity transition temperature (Tc) was approximately 93.7 K; the transition width was 6.2 K, and the maximum value of critical current density (Jc) was 1.5 × 105 A∙cm−2 (0 T, 77 K). These results indicate that, by combing the modified TSMG process and Gd + 011 TSIG process, a practical processing method for preparing the NdBCO seed crystals and the high-performance single-domain GdBCO bulk superconductors was developed.

LEVITATION AND SUSPENSION FORCES MEASUREMENT SYSTEM FOR HIGH TC SUPERCONDUCTORS

The interaction forces, attraction (suspension) and repulsion (levitation) between a permanent magnet and diferent bulk Yttrium-based superconductors were carried out with an automatic system developed in our group, which is reproducible, reliable and low cost. Two superconducting samples of YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) prepared by solid-state reaction method (S) and by the melt-textured growth method (MTG) were used. Both samples were characterized by XRD technique and presented the characteristic peaks and intensity relations of the YBCO-123 superconducting phase. Oxygen deficiencies δ &gt; 0,15 and δ &lt; 0,10 for the S and MTG samples respectively, were observed. Both samples displayed diferent hysteresis behavior in the Force (F) vs. Distance (z) measurements when they were field cooled (FC) and zero field cooled (ZFC). This behavior agrees with hysteresis loops observed in magnetization measurements. Both levitation and suspension phenomena were observed in the MTG sample with large hysteresis loops of the force. On the contrary, the S sample with small hysteresis loops did not show a suspension force, only displayed a slight levitation force.

The comparison of levitation and lateral force of bulk and cut-pasted bulk GdBCO samples at different temperatures

In this work, in the first time, we have investigated the levitation and lateral force properties of bulk and cut-pasted bulk GdBCO samples at different temperatures and different cooling heights (CH) to determine the effect of cut-pasted process on the magnetic levitation force behaviour. The measurements of superconducting characteristics indicated that the attractive and repulsive force values of cut-pasted GdBCO sample are slightly lesser than those of GdBCO bulk sample. The maximum repulsive and attractive force values obtained as 15.45 N and −4.56 N for GdBCO bulk and as 14.78 N and −3.92 N for cut-pasted GdBCO samples at 37 K. Although there are many fabrication methods as melt-textured growth (MTG), top seeded infiltration growth (TSIG) and TSMG to produce large HTS samples, the desired large sample size and the sample shape compatible with the superconducting magnetic bearing systems are not still sufficient for the technological applications. In this study, the performed cut-pasted process and obtained magnetic levitation force data can be using for the increment sample size and the desired sample shape in the needed different geometry and size for superconducting magnetic bearing systems.

Abstract 90: Long-Term Impact of Mechanical Thrombectomy Randomized Trials in a Comprehensive Stroke Center: Individual Ethical Dilemmas versus Societal Benefits

Introduction: Despite being the best sources of evidence for clinical interventions, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) may raise individual ethical concerns as often times control groups are left without treatments that might be perceived as beneficial. This becomes particularly challenging when centers must randomize patients to non-treatment versus modalities that were previously considered their standard of care. We aim to assess the overall societal costs and benefits related to two recent thrombectomy RCTs. Methods: Retrospective comprehensive stroke center database analysis. The number of MT was analyzed in the year prior and the year after the SWIFT-PRIME (all cases) and DAWN (6-24h cases) trials. The societal benefit was estimated based on (1) the number of control patients in the trials, (2) the number-need-to-treat (NNT) to achieve one additional good outcome (90-day mRS 0-2), and (3) the MT growth post trial completion. Results: SWIFT PRIME was presented in February 2015. The number of MT increased from 149 the year prior to 258 in the subsequent year (12.4±3.5 vs 21.42±5.48 patients/month, p=&lt;0.001). Our site enrolled 12 patients including six controls. The NNT was 4. Thus, the net result was that we missed the opportunity to provide an uncertain benefit to 1.5 individuals in order to offer a definite benefit to an additional 109 patients and definitely benefit 27 of them. DAWN was presented in May 2017. The number of 6-24-h MT increased from 91 the year prior to 134 in the subsequent year (7.7±3.4 vs. 11.2±3.5 patients/month, p=0.02). Our site enrolled 38 patients including 16 controls. The NNT was 3. Thus, the net result was that we missed the opportunity to provide an uncertain benefit to 5.3 individuals in order to offer a definite benefit to an additional 43 patients and definitely benefit 14.3 of them. Conclusion: A considerable benefit from thrombectomy RCTs could be measured at our center despite pre-existent aggressive treatment protocols and outreach programs confirming that individual ethical concerns should be nullified in face of equipoise. The overall societal benefit after a scientific breakthrough vastly surpasses the alleged burden of those relative few control cases.

A Low-Cost Fabrication Technique for the Growth of Single-Domain GdBCO Bulk Superconductor from Raw Metal Oxides

A single-domain GdBCO bulk superconductor is usually fabricated using a mixture of pre-reacted precursor powders (including GdBa2Cu3O7−δ and Gd2BaCuO5) by the top-seeded melt texture growth (TSMTG) process. However, the synthesis of pure-phase precursor powder by the solid-state sintering reaction can not only consume time for weeks but also prolong the fabrication process and can lead to a low-efficiency and high-cost process. In this paper, we reported the successful growth of single-domain GdBCO bulk superconductors by the top-seeded metallic oxide melt growth (TS-MOMG) process in which the raw materials of Gd2O3, BaO, and CuO, the three different metallic oxides, are just involved to fabricate the single-domain GdBCO bulk superconductors. After detailed investigations in the morphology, levitation force, trapped magnetic field, and critical temperature of the grown samples with different ratios, it was found that the simplified precursor-phase source can be used to fabricate the single-domain GdBCO bulk superconductors more efficiently, which can combine the crystal growth procedure and greatly economize the preparation cost and the time to the most extent.

Levitation force of melt-textured YBCO superconductors under non-quasi-static situation

The superconducting levitation force of a simple superconductor-magnet system under non-quasi-static situation is investigated experimentally. Two yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) samples with different performances are chosen from two small batches of samples prepared by the top-seeded melt-textured growth process. The residual carbon content of the precursor powders of the two batches is different due to different heat treatment processes. During the experimental process for measuring the levitation force, the value of the relative speed between the YBCO sample and the permanent magnet is higher than that in conventional studies. The variation characteristics of the superconducting levitation force are analyzed and a crossing phenomenon in the force–displacement hysteresis curves is observed. The results indicate that the superconducting levitation force is different due to the different residual carbon contents. As residual carbon contents reduce, the crossing phenomenon is more obvious accordingly.

Fabrication and properties of single domain GdBCO superconducting rings by a buffer aided Gd+011 TSIG method

Single domain REBCO bulk superconductors can be fabricated by both the top-seeded melt texture growth process and the top-seeded infiltration and growth (TSIG) process. The buffer pellet technique used in these two methods has been demonstrated to act as an efficient seed and to aid the growth of the REBCO bulk superconductors. In this paper, we combined the Gd+011 TSIG method and buffer pellet technique together to fabricate single domain REBCO superconducting rings without any machining and obvious shrinkage of the final ring, which shows a satisfactory trapped field and very good magnetic shielding at the same time. It is found that (1) a single domain GdBCO ring, with inner diameter of 10 mm and outer diameter of 32 mm, has been fabricated by this method successfully. (2) The trapped field (0.32 T, 77 K) and maximum levitation force (80.1 N, 77 K) of the single domain GdBCO ring are nearly the same as the trapped field (0.33 T, 77 K) and maximum levitation force (80.2 N, 77 K) of the single domain GdBCO bulk with the same diameter and thickness, but the uniformity of trapped field is much better for the single domain GdBCO ring. (3) The single domain GdBCO ring shows very good magnetic shielding property, the magnetic flux density shielded by the superconducting ring is up to 0.40 T at 77 K, which is much higher than that of reported samples. The results indicate that the buffer aided Gd+011 TSIG method can provide an important way to fabricate high quality single domain REBCO superconducting rings directly.

Full Magnetization of Bulk (RE)Ba2Cu3O7−δ Magnets With Various Rare-Earth Elements Using Pulsed Fields at 77 K

REBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ bulk superconductors are able to trap large magnetic fields and as a result they have potential to work as strong magnets. In this study, highly textured yttrium, gadolinium, and samarium based cuprate bulk superconductors were prepared using conventional top-seeded melt-textured growth, and magnetized by employing both field-cooling magnetization (FCM) and pulsed-field magnetization (PFM) techniques at 77 K. The same peak value of a trapped field was achieved using FCM and PFM, which means all the bulk samples were fully magnetized by using the PFM method. In addition, the magnitude of the pulsed field required to fully magnetize the bulk samples varied with rare-earth element in the (RE)BCO formulation.

Enhancement of trapped field in single grain Y–Ba–Cu–O bulk superconductors by a modified top-seeded melt-textured growth

The modified top-seeded melt-textured growth technique for fabricating single grain Y–Ba–Cu–O (YBCO) bulk superconductors with high field-trapping ability by using modified precursor pellets was reported. The modified precursor pellets are composed of different precursor powders YBa2Cu3O (Y123) + x mol% Y2BaCuO5 (Y211) + 1 wt% CeO2 without any further chemical doping. The modified YBCO bulks up to 25 and 34 mm in diameter were successfully fabricated from the modified precursor pellets. Microstructural observation results showed that the modified YBCO bulk exhibited a homogeneous distribution of Y211 phase particles, which was qualitatively explained by the solute diffusion growth model in combination with the trapping/pushing theory. As a result, it is notable that the peak trapped field values of 0.91 T (maximum 0.96 T) and 1.2 T (maximum 1.28 T) at 77 K were achieved for 25 and 34 mm modified YBCO bulks, respectively. In a word, the results from present work are very helpful to understand the melt growth mechanism and to further improve the properties of YBCO bulk superconductors for practical applications.

Improvement of MTG Process for Preparation and its property of YBCO Superconductor

&lt;p&gt;To improve the superconductivity of high temperature YBCO superconductor, it was prepared and examined by MTG (melt-textured growth) process with use of SmBaCuO seed crystal for orientation, additives of Ag and 211 phase for current density and flux pinning, and heat treatment for oxygen absorption. SmBaCuO single crystals were prepared by MTG process with oxygen absorption and analyzed by XRD and Laue technique. It was estimated that optimum value of Y&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;BaCuO&lt;sub&gt;5&lt;/sub&gt; (211 phase) contents in the textured YBCO superconductor as flux pinning center was about 20 wt.%. Ag contents have no influence on the critical temperature but have large influence on the critical current density of the textured YBCO. In the YBCO matrix in experiment, 10 wt.% of Y&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;BaCuO&lt;sub&gt;5&lt;/sub&gt; was added, the final 211 content of YBCO made by MTG process could reach about 20 wt.% which was the optimum value for the critical current density. The Ag contents in textured YBCO and the effects of Ag on the superconductivity were also examined. A 5x5x2 mm&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt; single crystal of SmBaCuO grown by the melted-condensed process was used to be the seed crystal in the preparation of YBCO. It was proved that the orientation of YBCO was the same as the orientation of the SmBaCuO seed. The effect of oxygen absorption of the bulk oriented YBCO was studied and the heat treatment of oxygen absorption would be in flowing oxygen, at 400 for about 24 hours. The critical current density of the textured YBCO prepared by the optimum technical conditions was about 7x10&lt;sup&gt;4&lt;/sup&gt; A/cm&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; (77K, 0.01T).&lt;/p&gt;

Normal-State Optical Features Study of Nd123 and Gd1212 HTSC Materials for Photonics and Metamaterials Fabrication

YBCO-like Nd123 and Gd1212 superconductors in the normal state, in the visible and infrared regime, have been analyzed in this work. Superconductors, particularly high-temperature superconductors (HTSCs), hold indeed a great interest in the highly innovative research field of metamaterials and photonics with important applications. Indeed nanostructured devices suffer from increasing resistivity with frequency in metals, and superconducting materials provide a viable route to approach this problem. Moreover, HTSCs are plasmonic materials at nonzero temperature, and their features, not available in conventional materials, make them very attractive for metamaterials use. In particular, we investigate Nd123, for its high T c , and Gd1212, for the coexistence, in its unitary cell, of magnetic order and superconductivity. Samples were extracted from top-seeded melt-textured growth bulk pellets and bars. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis, performed in the far-infrared, shows articulated peak structures with k <; k min and a plateau for higher k, allowing for Nd123 and Gd1212 pseudogap measurement. Raman spectroscopy and microscopy provided a structural mapping of our Nd123 samples, allowing for distinguishing the superconducting matrix from nonsuperconducting phase inclusions (precipitates) and providing an instrument to discriminate among optical responses of the different compounds.

Influence of layered precursor pellets on the growth and properties of Y-Ba-Cu-O bulk superconductors by top-seeded melt-textured growth

It is well known that a fine and homogeneous distribution of Y2BaCuO5 (Y211) phase particles in single-grain Y-Ba-Cu-O (YBCO) bulk superconductors is essential for improving field-trapping ability. However, the size and concentration of Y211 phase particles in the fully melt-processed superconducting bulk increase significantly with the distance from the seed, which results in the accumulation of Y211 phase particles and the degradation of superconducting properties. In this paper, we report a new method of fabricating single-grain YBCO using layered precursor pellets. Using the top-seeded melt-textured growth process, single-grain YBCO bulk superconductors of about 22 mm in diameter and 9 mm in thickness were fabricated from layered precursor pellets and standard precursor pellets, respectively. The layered precursor pellets consist of precursor powders with 40 mol% Y211 at the top, 30 mol% Y211 in the middle and 20 mol% Y211 at the bottom of the whole pellets, while standard precursor pellets are prepared from precursor powders with only 40 mol% Y211. The growth morphology, microstructure and magnetic flux properties of the layered samples and standard samples were comparatively studied. The results proved that the layered precursor pellets allow a sufficient growth in the c-growth sector and a more uniform distribution of the Y211 phase in the matrix. The distribution of Y211 phase particles is qualitatively explained by the prevalent trapping/pushing theory. The trapped field at 77 K reaches 0.8 T, nearly 29% higher than the standard sample. The present results are very valuable for further improving the properties of YBCO bulk superconductors.

Abnormal behaviors in lock-in transition of the vortices in melt textured growth of YBa2Cu3O7- crystals

The magnetization behavior of the layered anisotropic high-Tc superconductor in the mixed state Hc1 H Hc2 has a feature that when the angle between the applied magnetic field H and the CuO plane (a-b plane) is less than a critical value ( L), the vortex lattice is converted from three-dimensional structure into two-dimensional structure, forming a phenomenon so called the lock-in transition, where the flux lines are completely parallel to the a-b plane, and the vertical component of the magnetic induction B丄 (perpendicular to the a-b plane) is consequently zero. So far, there have still existed the differences in the physical explanation of the lock-in phenomenon. For the lock-in phenomenon occurring in the region between the CuO planes, it can be considered to be caused by the transverse Meissner effect. However, for the one occurring in other extended correlated defect areas, such as twin boundaries in YBa2Cu3O7- (YBCO) crystal, this phenomenon is believed to be the results of the energy linearization of the vortices trapped in the defect channels. Many theoretical and experimental studies have revealed the existence of the lock-in behaviors related to the microstructure properties of the superconductor crystals. Therefore, the research of the lock-in transition behavior will be helpful to understand the intrinsic pinning properties of the layered anisotropic superconductors, and the phase transition process in the vortex system. In this paper, we systematically measure the magnetic torque signal in melt texture growth YBCO (MTG-YBCO) bulk and observe an abnormal lock-in transition behavior in the vortex system. The critical angle of the lock-in transition is found to be directly proportional to the strength of the magnetic field, which is contrary to the observations in the common cases. According to the framework of the Ginzburg-Landau theory and the kink structure model of the vortex line, we discuss the abnormal phenomenon, and propose that there is a type of extend-correlated defect structure, which is parallel to the a-b plane, in the MTG-YBCO crystal. The relationship between the critical angle of the lock-in transition to the temperature and the magnetic field is established theoretically, and the theoretical results coincide well with the torque measurements.