Yunhua Shi

A wide range of technologies rely on permanent magnets, including levitation devices, motors, generators and magnetic separators. Replacing permanent magnets with bulk superconductors will enable a step change in performance by providing an order of magnitude increase in the achievable magnetic field. However, the reliable fabrication of large single grained superconducting materials with a high, homogeneously distributed magnetic trapped field remains a barrier to the widespread application of these materials. Limits to the size and geometry of RE–Ba–Cu–O single grain bulk superconductors could be overcome by developing a reliable process to assemble larger components by fabricating superconducting joints between smaller samples. In this work we propose a mechanism of joint formation in GdBCO–Ag bulk superconductors using a YBCO–Ag intermediate that is based on detailed analysis of the joint interfaces. This improved understanding of the joint formation process provides the knowledge required to fully optimise the fabrication parameters, and to produce joints with improved superconducting and mechanical properties.

The fabrication of large (RE)–Ba–Cu–O single grains [(RE)BCO], where RE = Y, Gd, Eu or Sm, with the complex geometries required for many practical applications is currently limited by the time intensive, complex nature of the grain growth process. In addition, the shapes achievable using established melt processing techniques, such as top seeded melt growth, are constrained significantly by the limited number of post-processing techniques readily available. Machining of these materials is also difficult given their ceramic-like mechanical properties, which makes them both brittle and hard. A potential alternative to the slow and inflexible melt growth processes is to join many small, single grains to form one large composite grain, connected by electrically and mechanically high-performance joints. A reliable joining technique would also greatly reduce the need for post-growth machining processes. In this work we extend our previous investigation of the use of single grain YBCO-Ag as an intermediate joining material to achieve effective and reliable superconducting joints between EuBCO-Ag bulk, single grain superconductors. The technique reported in the earlier studies requires limited specialist equipment and does not require tight process parameter control, since there is no need to re-grow the joining material at the intergrain interface. This technique is of particular interest given that the difference between the peritectic temperatures of the bulk superconductor and the intermediate joining material is large. We report the properties of seven joints engineered at different joining temperatures. The trapped field properties of the resulting joined samples were measured and the microstructure at the position of the joint examined. We demonstrate that this simple and the rapid joining technique makes it possible to manufacture composite grains in an industrially important (RE)BCO bulk superconductor with comparable superconducting properties to those of a single grain of similar dimensions.

High-strength permanent magnets are essential for a wide range of technologies, including levitation devices, motors, generators and magnetic separators. Replacing permanent magnets with single grain, bulk superconductors will enable a step-change in the performance of these technologies by providing an order-of-magnitude increase in magnetic field. However, there remain many key challenges to the practical implementation of bulk superconductors, of which size and geometry are the most fundamental. The current limits to the size and geometry of (RE)-Ba–Cu–O single grain, bulk superconductors would be overcome substantially by the ability to fabricate high-quality joints between these technologically important materials. In this work we present new insights into the creation of superconducting joints between single grain bulk YBCO superconductors using a YBCO-Ag intermediate composition. We have investigated the effect of the joint fabrication temperature on the quality of the joint in order to begin to optimise the joint fabrication route for YBCO. We report on 35 joints produced at different joining temperatures as part of this study. The trapped field properties of the resulting joined samples were measured and the microstructure at each joint was examined. We show that this simple and rapid joining technique is robust to small changes in joint fabrication temperature and suggest routes to further optimise this potentially transformative technique.

The mechanical and flux trapping properties of 19 EuBCO(Ag) and 20 thin‐wall EuBCO(Ag) bulk superconductors were investigated statistically and compared to those observed for YBCO using Brazilian testing and high‐field magnetization. The average trapped fields of EuBCO(Ag) and thin‐wall EuBCO(Ag) bulk superconductors were significantly higher than those of YBCO bulk samples at 77 K measured under similar experimental conditions. However, due to the wide range of trapped field data for both materials, a statistical overlap was observed between the highest trapped fields observed for YBCO and the lowest values observed for EuBCO(Ag) bulk superconductors. All EuBCO(Ag) bulk materials measured in this study exhibit a superior tensile strength compared to YBCO bulk single grains. Unlike the case of YBCO, however, the introduction of artificial holes to EuBCO(Ag) bulk superconductors prior to melt processing was observed to decrease the average tensile strength of the single grain. Surprisingly, despite their superior mechanical and flux pinning properties, EuBCO(Ag) bulk superconductors do not exhibit enhanced performance when exposed to high fields at low temperatures.

The trapped field in Y–Ba–Cu–O (YBCO) bulk single grain superconductors correlates directly with the critical current density J _c, which, in turn, is dependent on the microstructure of the bulk material. It has been shown recently and indirectly that porosity influences J _c of these technologically important materials, in addition to the presence of well-researched Y₂BaCuO₅ (Y-211) particles in the bulk sample. In this work, we report the direct impact of porosity on the critical current density of a single grain YBCO bulk superconductor using 3D x-ray computer tomography scans and superconducting quantum interference device measurements. It is concluded that porosity has a considerably more substantial impact on the measured critical current density than Y-211 on the micrometre scale with, predictably, a decrease in porosity leading to an increase in J _c. J _c is directly proportional to the trapped field, so any method that can reduce porosity, therefore, improves J _c, and, subsequently, the trapped field of these technologically important bulk superconductors.

It is necessary to fabricate (RE)BCO bulk high temperature superconductors in the form of individual single grains in order to maximise the length scale over which current flows, and hence the trapped magnetic field. However, inherent difficulties in the grain growth process place limitations on the diameter and height of the single grain that may be achieved by existing melt processes. A practical approach to increase the height of the sample and the trapped field at its surface is by assembling individual single grains in a stack formation with their ab planes aligned parallel, primarily to avoid the expensive process of fabricating large, individual monoliths. The trapped fields observed at the top and bottom surfaces of a single grain sample are frequently different since both the superconducting and physical properties of single grain (RE)BCO samples are generally non-uniform. This leads to challenges in determining how to spatially arrange stacks of single grain samples to generate the largest and most uniform trapped field overall. In this study, we report the optimisation of two-stack configurations involving a total of 8 individual GdBCO/Ag single grains. The samples were arranged in four pairs and configured with different surfaces in contact in the assembly of the stack. The primary superconducting properties for trapped field and total flux distributions were measured at 77 K and compared for each stack arrangement. The initial results indicate that surfaces with inferior flux trapping properties (measured in terms of the overall trapped field value) of a two-sample stack should be positioned at the middle of the assembly to achieve the best overall trapped field and higher total flux at the external, and therefore, usable surface of the stack sample. A numerical modelling method that incorporates different J_c-B characteristics for the top and bottom layers of a single grain to take account of the variability in physical properties and spatial non-uniformity confirmed the optimised experimental arrangement of the stacked bulk samples. Furthermore, the optimisation of single grains of ring geometry to achieve a longer and wider uniform magnetic field zone inside the bore was also performed.

This work reports a technique for fabricating superconducting joints between GdBCO-Ag bulk superconductors, using YBCO-Ag as an intermediate joining material. The ability to provide reliable joints between multiple bulk superconductors overcomes many of the challenges of fabricating large superconductors or machining hard and brittle bulk superconductors into practical shapes. We report on nine single grains of GdBCO-Ag which have been joined with a YBCO-Ag intermediate. Samples were cut and joined in a variety of c-plane orientations to refine and understand the effect this had on the superconducting properties of jointed samples. The trapped field of pre-jointed and jointed bulk superconductors were compared; the maximum trapped field achieved was 59% of the pre-jointed sample. Further analysis showed that the critical temperature and critical current of the samples were degraded by the jointing process. Microstructural and chemical analysis showed that the jointing process facilitated diffusion of silver towards the joint and in some cases large pores were formed at the joint interface. These factors consequently inhibited current flow across the joint and thus reduced the maximum trapped field achievable when compared to the original unjointed sample.

When used as trapped field magnets (TFMs), single grain, bulk high-temperature superconducting (HTS) rings are promising candidates for the generation of strong, uniform magnetic fields for nuclear magnetic resonance. The pulsed field magnetisation (PFM) technique provides a low cost, compact and portable method to magnetise these samples as TFMs; however it has proven difficult to achieve high trapped fields in HTS rings using PFM. To date, a record field of only 0.60 T has been achieved for rings magnetised by single-pulse PFM—compared with over 4 T for disc-shaped HTS—and the reasons for this discrepancy are poorly understood. In this work, we use the finite element method to model the propagation of magnetic flux into HTS rings under quasi-static zero field cooled magnetisation and PFM, and validate the results analytically and experimentally. Magnetic flux is found to penetrate finite HTS rings from both the inner and outer surfaces, inducing a negative field at the inner face of the ring. This field is reversed as the applied field increases past the point of full penetration, locally dissipating magnetic energy and heating the sample. HTS rings are therefore more susceptible to local instabilities that severely limit their ability to trap a useful magnetic field. Consequently, thermomagnetic stability of HTS rings during single-pulse PFM can only be ensured by taking careful consideration of reducing flux movement through the bulk around the point at which the field is reversed. This may require more advanced PFM techniques like waveform control or multi-pulse stepwise-cooling to reduce local heating and increase the trapped field.

Bulk, single grain RE–Ba–Cu–O (where RE = rare earth or yttrium) [(RE)BCO] high temperature superconductors could potentially be used to generate stable magnetic fields for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). In these applications, however, the homogeneity of the magnetic field is of critical importance. As a result, the spatial distribution of critical current density, J _c, within the bulk single grain and the effects of the magnetisation process, which are primary drivers of the uniformity of the achievable trapped magnetic field, are fundamental to assessing the performance of these technologically important materials. This paper reports the systematic measurement of the distribution of J _c–B at 77 K over a vertical cross-section of a single grain along a facet line and through the seed crystal [(110)-F] at 20 positions within a 20 mm diameter Gd–Ba–Cu–O sample in an attempt to understand and assess the distribution of J _c along this microstructural feature. A comparison of the data within the whole vertical plane across the seed measured along the a or b direction within the [(100)-a] plane shows that J _c–B at 77 K at the facet line is more than 10% higher for applied fields between 0.2 T and 2.5 T. The effect of the J _c–B relationship of the facet line on the overall trapped field measured in an individual bulk sample was investigated by measuring the magnitudes of trapped fields and their contour maps for sections cut from four single grain samples of GdBCO–Ag at different sizes and shapes parallel to the ab-plane from the top to the bottom of the bulk sample. Based on the results reported here, we demonstrate a method to achieve more uniform trapped fields through an optimal arrangement of an assembly of sections of individual GdBCO single grains.