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Effect of Preform Compaction Pressure on the Final Microstructures and Superconducting Properties of YBa2Cu3O7−δ Superconductors Fabricated by Directionally Solidified Preform Optimized Infiltration Growth Process

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Abstract

Bulk YBa2Cu3O7−δ (YBCO, Y-123) superconductors with reasonable critical current densities J c are successfully fabricated in relatively short-time durations employing Directionally Solidified Preform Optimized Infiltration Growth Process (DS-POIGP). The effect of preform compaction pressure, applied to Y2BaCuO5 (Y-211) preform prior to the infiltration of liquid phases, on the end microstructures and current densities is investigated. It is found that a preform compaction pressure of 460 MPa resulted in samples with superior microstructures and superconducting properties. YBCO sample fabricated by DS-POIGP under optimized conditions revealed presence of fine-sized Y-211 particles distributed uniformly in the matrix of Y-123 causing large interfacial defect density (Y-211/Y-123). Extensive twinning on a nano-scale with twins in the size range of 40–100 nm is observed in the optimized sample. These microstructural parameters enabled a considerable improvement in the field dependence of J c . Irreversibility fields greater than 5.5 Tesla even at 77 K are achieved in the optimized sample fabricated by DS-POIGP.

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Acknowledgements

Department of Science and Technology (DST) is acknowledged by N.D.K. and V.S. for financial assistance in the form of a research projects (SR/S2/CMP-47/2004 and IR/S5/IU-01/2006). Grant from XI plan for FE-SEM is gratefully acknowledged. Grant from UGC-CAS for a continuous flow cryostat is acknowledged. T.R. thanks RGUKT, IIIT, Hyderabad for permission to publish this paper.

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  1. N. Devendra Kumar

    Present address: S.U.P.R.A.T.E.C.S., University of Liège, Liege, Belgium

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  1. School of Physics, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India

    N. Devendra Kumar, P. Missak Swarup Raju, S. Pavan Kumar Naik & V. Seshubai

  2. Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies, Vindhya C4, IIIT Campus, Hyderabad, India

    T. Rajasekharan

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Correspondence to N. Devendra Kumar.

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Dr. T. Rajasekharan was earlier with Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory, Kanchanbagh, Hyderabad, India.

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Devendra Kumar, N., Missak Swarup Raju, P., Pavan Kumar Naik, S. et al. Effect of Preform Compaction Pressure on the Final Microstructures and Superconducting Properties of YBa2Cu3O7−δ Superconductors Fabricated by Directionally Solidified Preform Optimized Infiltration Growth Process. J Low Temp Phys 174, 113–127 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10909-013-0955-x

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