Mechanochemical effects of grinding on the YBa2Cu3Ox superconductor

The mechanical grinding effects on the powders of YBa2Cu3Ox superconductor are examined. The grain size, the oxygen content of the powders decrease, and the content of the amorphous phase, the crystal strain increase, with the increasing of grinding time. Except that for amorphous phase, the crystallized phase can be refined by the orthorhombic and tetragonal phases. The refined results show that the diffraction peaks broaden after continuous grinding. This broadening can be explained from the crystal strain and the small grain size due to prolonged grinding. The lattice constants of the refined phases vary with the grinding time.