Enhanced flux pinning by BaZrO3 and (Gd,Y)2O3 nanostructures in metal organic chemical vapor deposited GdYBCO high temperature superconductor tapes

We have formed BaZrO3 nanocolumns and (Gd,Y)2O3 nanoprecipitates in reel-to-reel metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) processed (Gd,Y)Ba2Cu3O7−x coated conductors and increased the critical currents (Ic) of the conductors in applied magnetic fields to remarkable levels. A (Gd,Y)Ba2Cu3O7−x tape of 1 m in length with 6.5% Zr-additions and 30% composition rich in both Gd and Y showed Ic values of 813 A/cm width at (self-field, 77 K) and above 186 A/cm width at (1 T, 77 K). The strongly enhanced flux pinning over a wide range of magnetic field orientations can be attributed to the bidirectionally aligned defect structures of BaZrO3 and (Gd,Y)2O3 created by optimized MOCVD conditions.