Superconducting YBa2Cu3O7−x fibers from the thermoplastic gel method

Abstract

The successful fabrication of ceramic superconducting YBa2Cu3O7−x fibers has been investigated. A new method was proposed for synthesis of the fibers through a solution route. The thermoplastic gels were synthesized using Y, Ba, Cu, ethoxides, and diethylenetriamine. The fibers were drawn from the reheated gels. The fibers were characterized by x-ray diffraction, SEM, and shrinkage ratio measurements. The fired and then annealed fiber is shown to have a superconducting transition temperature of 91 K (onset) and zero resistance temperature of 84 K. With regard to the fired fibers, it is found that the surface area increased and superconducting transition temperature decreased with increasing organic content in the initial gel. The usefulness of this method is shown and the structure of the synthesized gel is discussed.