A critical feature in the Ag-sheathed Y-Ba-Cu-O wires sintering process

J. MALARRIA, D. ESPARZA

Rio de Janeiro

Congreso; Proceedings of the ICTPS´90 International conference on transport properties of superconductors; 1990

We have observed that the critical current density Jc of a Ag/Y-Ba-Cu-O superconducting wire increase with the sintering temperature up to a maximum value of Jc= 168 A/cm2 at 920 °C and then decreases.The microestructure reveals thet the increase in Jc is due to an improvement in the cohesion between grains. When the sintering temperature is raised beyond 920 °C, the material shrinks forming cracks and large pores that degrade the superconductive properties.