The effect of strain on grains and grain boundaries in YBa2Cu3O7-δ coated conductors

Published

December 9, 2009

Author(s)

Daniel C. van der Laan, John (Jack) W. Ekin, Timothy J. Haugan, Paul N. Barnes, Dmytro Abraimov, Fumitake Kametani, David C. Larbalestier, Marty Rupich

Abstract

The role of grains and grain boundaries in producing reversible strain effects on the transport current critical current (Ic) of YBa2Cu3O7-δ coated conductors was investigated by comparing the strain ε dependence of full-width coated conductors with that of samples in which current transport was limited to a few or single grain boundaries by cutting narrow tracks by laser or focused ion beam, as well as with thin films deposited on bi-crystalline SrTiO₃ substrates using pulsed laser deposition. Our results show that the dependence of Ic on ε for grains and grain boundaries from both types of YBCO can be expressed by the same function, however, with a greater effective tensile strain at the grain boundaries than in the grains. The really striking result is that the GB strain is 5-10 times higher for grain boundaries of in situ PLD-grown bicrystals, whose grain boundaries are composed of an alternating periodic dislocation-channel structure, as compared to the aperiodic, meandered, non-planar grain boundaries that develop in ex situ grown YBCO typical of a coated conductor.

Citation

Superconductor Science & Technology

Issue

23

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

high-temperature superconductivity, critical current, strain, grain boundaries

Citation

van, D. , W., J. , Haugan, T. , Barnes, P. , Abraimov, D. , Kametani, F. , Larbalestier, D. and Rupich, M. (2009), The effect of strain on grains and grain boundaries in YBa2Cu3O7-δ coated conductors, Superconductor Science & Technology, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=903288 (Accessed October 20, 2025)