Melt Processing and Properties of LRE-Ba-Cu-O Bulk Superconductors


Sang-Im YOO Chief Researcher, Materials Engineering Laboratory, Fundamental Research Division
Takamitsu HIGUCHI Researcher, Materials Engineering Laboratory, Fundamental Research Division
Hiroyuki FUJIMOTO Manager, Materials Engineering Laboratory, Fundamental Research Division
Masato MURAKAMI irector, Division VII, Superconductivity Research Laboratory, International Superconductivity Technology Center



Light rare earth (LRE)-Ba-Cu-O (LREBCO, LRE: Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd) bulk superconductors melt-processed in a reduced oxygen atmosphere are very promising for high field application as a superconducting permanent magnet with the liquid nitrogen refrigeration. Compared to a good quality melt-grown Y-Ba-Cu-O (YBCO) bulk, LREBCO bulks exhibit larger critical current density (Jc) in high magnetic field and much improved irreversibility field (Hirr) at 77 K, implying that more effective flux pinning can be realized in a commercially feasible way. In this paper, we report melt processing for LREBCO bulk superconductors and their characteristic superconducting properties.