Method for making Y123 superconducting material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11770983-B2
Application number	US-202117320660-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 14, 2021
Priority date	Oct 16, 2018
Publication date	Sep 26, 2023
Grant date	Sep 26, 2023

Abstract

A superconducting material includes YBa2Cu3O7-δ and a nano-structured, preferably nanowires, WO3 dopant in a range of from 0.01 to 3.0 wt. %, preferably 0.075 to 0.2 wt. %, based on total material weight. Methods of making the superconductor may preferably avoid solvents and pursue solid-state synthesis employing Y, Ba, and/or Cu oxides and/or carbonates.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of synthesizing a superconducting material, comprising:
heating an oxidized form of yttrium, an oxidized form of barium, and an oxidized form of copper in molar ratios of 1 (Y): 1.9 to 2.1 (Ba): 2.9 to 3.1 (Cu) in a range of from 850 to 1050° C. for a time in a range of from 8 to 16 hours, to obtain a Y-123;
grinding a mixture comprising the Y-123 and 0.01 to 3.0 wt. %, relative to total mass of the mixture, of nano-structured WO 3 to form a superconductor precursor;
pressing the superconductor precursor at a pressure in a range of from 500 to 1000 MPa into a pre-sintered precursor;
sintering the pre-sintered precursor at a temperature in a range of from 900 to 1000° C. for a period in a range of from 4 to 12 hours, to obtain a sintered product; and
cooling the sintered product at a rate in a range of from 1 to 10° C./minute to obtain the superconducting material;
wherein the superconducting material, comprises:
a YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ matrix phase; and
0.05 to 0.2 wt. %, based on total superconductor weight, of particles of a dopant,
wherein the dopant is the nano-structured WO 3 in the form of WO 3 nanowires and wherein the WO 3 nanowires are disposed within voids between grain boundaries of the YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ matrix phase.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the WO 3 nanowires are present in the superconducting material in a range of from 0.075 to 0.2 wt. %.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
compressing the oxidized forms of yttrium, barium, and copper prior to the heating.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sintering is conducted in an atmosphere comprising air.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the superconducting material has at least 97% YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ phase with orthorhombic crystal structure and Pmmm symmetry.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the superconducting material comprises:
no more than 0.5% of Y 2 BaCuO 5 (Y-211);
no more than 0.5% of YBaCu 2 O 5-δ (Y-112);
no more than 0.5% of YBa 2 Cu 4 O y (Y-124);
no more than 0.5% of Y 2 Ba 4 Cu 7 O y (Y-247); and
no more than 0.5% of BaCuO 2 ,
based on the total phases concentration.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the superconducting material comprises no more than 1% of any further phases of YBCO than Y-123, based on the total phases concentration.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the superconducting material has in its matrix a regular form of nanometer scale entities bright in contrast dispersed into grains.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the superconducting material has a superconducting transition in a range of from 80 to 100 K.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the superconducting material has a critical current density (J cm ) in a range of from 1.0×10 4 to 1.4×10 4 A/cm 2 , in an applied magnetic field of 0 Tesla.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the superconducting material has a critical current density (J cm ) in a range of from 600 to 800 A/cm 2 , in an applied magnetic field of 1 Tesla.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the superconducting material has a critical current density of at least 4×10 3 to 10 5 A/cm 2 across a temperature range of from 60 to 10 K under a magnetic field in a range of from 0 to 6 Tesla.

13. A method of synthesizing a superconducting material, comprising:
heating an oxidized form of yttrium, an oxidized form of barium, and an oxidized form of copper in molar ratios of 1 (Y): 1.9 to 2.1 (Ba): 2.9 to 3.1 (Cu) in a range of from 850 to 1050° C. for a time in a range of from 8 to 16 hours, to obtain a Y-123;
grinding a mixture comprising the Y-123 and 0.01 to 3.0 wt. %, relative to total mass of the mixture, of nano-structured WO 3 to form a superconductor precursor;
pressing the superconductor precursor at a pressure in a range of from 500 to 1000 MPa into a pre-sintered precursor;
sintering the pre-sintered precursor at a temperature in a range of from 900 to 1000° C. for a period in a range of from 4 to 12 hours, to obtain a sintered product; and
cooling the sintered product at a rate in a range of from 1 to 10° C./minute to obtain the superconducting material;
wherein the WO 3 nanowires are present in the superconducting material in a range of from 0.075 to 0.2 wt. % based on total superconductor weight.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
compressing the oxidized forms of yttrium, barium, and copper prior to the heating.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the sintering is conducted in an atmosphere comprising air.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the superconducting material has at least 97% YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ phase with orthorhombic crystal structure and Pmmm symmetry.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the superconducting material comprises:
no more than 0.5% of Y 2 BaCuO 5 (Y-211);
no more than 0.5% of YBaCu 2 O 5-δ (Y-112);
no more than 0.5% of YBa 2 Cu 4 O y (Y-124);
no more than 0.5% of Y 2 Ba 4 Cu 7 O y (Y-247); and
no more than 0.5% of BaCuO 2 ,
based on the total phases concentration.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the superconducting material comprises no more than 1% of any further phases of YBCO than Y-123, based on the total phases concentration.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein the superconducting material has in its matrix a regular form of nanometer scale entities bright in contrast dispersed into grains.

20. The method of claim 13 , wherein the superconducting material has a superconducting transition in a range of from 80 to 100 K.

Assignees

• Univ Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal

Inventors

• Slimani Yassine
• Almessiere Munirah Abdullah
• Azzouz Faten Ben

Classifications

• H10N60/857 Primary

  comprising copper oxide · CPC title

• H10N60/0268

  of devices comprising copper oxide · CPC title

• H10N60/203

  comprising high-Tc ceramic materials · CPC title

• H10N60/0828

  Introducing flux pinning centres · CPC title