Fabrication and properties of TBCCO films via air-atomising spray deposition of thallium-free precursors

The high-field properties of polycrystalline superconducting TlBaCaCuO films fabricated by the incorporation of thallium vapour into air-atomised BaCaCuO precursors are described. Thick films with Tc values in the range 106-111 K have been prepared on polycrystalline yttria-stabilised zirconia substrates. The surface morphology, crystal structure and composition of the films are related to their high-field transport and magnetisation properties. Typical 10 mm × 9 mm films show Jc values > 1×104 A/cm2 at 77 K (0 T). The best film has a Jc=1.3×104 A/cm2 (Ic=3.6 A) at 77 K (0 T). Films prepared on 26 mm×9 mm substrates show typical large-area Jc values > 0.5×104 A/cm2 (77 K, 0 T). A square planar specimen of dimensions 4.3 mm ×4.3 mm exhibited magnetisation Jc values=1.2×105 A/cm2 at 4.2 K (0.1 T), 9.3×104 A/cm2 at 10 K (0.1 T), 3.3×104 A/ cm2 at 4 K (8 T), and 1.6×104 A/cm2 at 10 K (8 T). © 1994.

Individual grain boundary properties and overall performance of metal-organic-deposition coated conductors

We have investigated single grain boundaries (GBs) isolated in coated conductors produced by Metal-Organic Deposition (MOD). When a magnetic field is swept in the film plane, an angle-dependent crossover from boundary to grain limited critical current density Jc is found. In the force-free orientation, even at fields as high as 8 T, the GBs still limit Jc. We deduce that this effect is a direct consequence of GB meandering. We have employed these single GB results to explain the dependence of Jc of polycrystalline tracks on their width: in-plane measurements become flatter as the tracks are narrowed down. This result is consistent with the stronger GB limitation at field configurations close to force-free found from the isolated boundaries. Our study shows that for certain geometries even at high fields the effect of GBs cannot be neglected.