Assessment of Chemical Solution Synthesis and Properties of Gd2Zr2O7 Thin Films as Buffer Layers for Second-Generation High-Temperature Superconductor Wires (Postprint).

摘要

Chemical solution processing of Gd2Zr2O7 (GZO) thin films via sol- gel and metalorganic decomposition (MOD) precursor routes have been studied on textured Ni-based tape substrates. Even though films processed by both techniques showed similar property characteristics, the MOD-derived samples developed a high degree of texture alignment at significantly lower temperatures. Both precursor chemistries resulted in exceptionally dense, pore- free, and smooth microstructures, reflected in the cross-sectional and plan- view high-resolution scanning and transmission electron microscopy studies. On the MOD GZO buffered Ni-3at.% W (Ni-W) substrates with additional CeO2/YSZ sputtered over layers, a 0.8-micron-thick YBa2Cu3O 7-delta (YBCO) film, grown by an ex situ metalorganic trifluoroacetate precursor method, yielded critical current, Ic (77 K, self-field), of 100 A/cm width. Furthermore, using pulsed- laser deposited YBCO films, a zero-field superconducting critical current density, Jc (77 K), of 1 x 10(exp 6) A/sq cm was demonstrated on an all- solution, simplified CeO2(MOD)/GZO(MOD)/Ni-W architecture. The present study establishes GZO buffers as a candidate material for low-cost, all-solution coated conductor fabrication.