Characterization of natural and artificial low-angle boundaries in YBCO TSMG samples

Since several years, technical applications of bulk HTS YBCO superconductors are of growing interest. However, shapes of HTS tiles needed for complex applications require the joining of two or more single-domain monoliths. The welding technique leads to the formation of a low-angle grain boundary and then requires a high connectivity between two adjacent single-domain materials. This study was devoted to the characterization of the microstructure and the superconducting properties of natural and artificial low-angle grain boundaries. The natural grain boundary formed during the multi-seeded melt growth (MSMG) process exhibits a non-uniform microstructure during the growth. An energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis carried out across the grain boundaries always reveals a depletion of copper and an accumulation of yttrium. Mechanical joining of two single-domain monoliths leads to the formation of an artificial grain boundary. This kind of joining was performed either without or with a welding agent, i.e., YbBa2Cu3O7-x (Yb-123), The first method leads to a good connectivity between welded Y-123 platelets. In contrast, the control of the mechanical welding process with a welding agent is more difficult. At 940 degrees C, Yb-123 decomposes into Yb2BaCuO5, BaCuO2 and CuO. This decomposition deteriorates the superconducting properties between two adjacent domains. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.