The University of Chicago

Donglu Shi

Suvankar Sengupta

Volker R Todt

Dean J Miller

Uthamalingam Balachandran

Michael T Lanagan

Kenneth C Goretta

John C Parker

Richard W Siegel

Jieguang Hu

A method of preparing a high temperature superconductor. A method of preparing a superconductor includes providing a powdered high temperature superconductor and a nanophase material. These components are combined to form a solid compacted mass with the material disposed in the polycrystalline high temperature superconductor. This combined mixture is rapidly heated, forming a dispersion of nanophase size particles without a eutectic reaction. These nanophase particles can have a flat plate or columnar type morphology.

Engineered flux-pinning centers in BSCCO TBCCO and YBCO superconductors

A method of fabricating bulk YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.x where compressed powder oxides and/or carbonates of Y and Ba and Cu present in mole ratios to form YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.x are heated in the presence of a Nd.sub.1+x Ba.sub.2-x Cu.sub.3 O.sub.y seed crystal to a temperature sufficient to form a liquid phase in the YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.x while maintaining the seed crystal solid. The materials are slowly cooled to provide a YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.x material having a predetermined number of domains between 1 and 5. Crack-free single domain materials can be formed using either plate shaped seed crystals or cube shaped seed crystals with a pedestal of preferential orientation material.

Large single domain 123 material produced by seeding with single crystal

A method of preparing single crystals. The method of preparation involves preparing precursor materials of a particular composition, heating the precursor material to achieve a peritectic mixture of peritectic liquid and crystals, cooling the peritectic mixture to quench directly the mixture on a porous, wettable inert substrate to wick off the peritectic liquid, leaving single crystals on the porous substrate. Alternatively, the peritectic mixture can be cooled to a solid mass and reheated on a porous, inert substrate to melt the matrix of peritectic fluid while leaving the crystals unmelted, allowing the wicking away of the peritectic liquid.

Method for harvesting single crystals from a peritectic melt

A method of preparing high temperature superconductor single crystals. The method of preparation involves preparing precursor materials of a particular composition, heating the precursor material to achieve a peritectic mixture of peritectic liquid and crystals of the high temperature superconductor, cooling the peritectic mixture to quench directly the mixture on a porous, wettable inert substrate to wick off the peritectic liquid, leaving single crystals of the high temperature superconductor on the porous substrate. Alternatively, the peritectic mixture can be cooled to a solid mass and reheated on a porous, inert substrate to melt the matrix of peritectic fluid while leaving the crystals melted, allowing the wicking away of the peritectic liquid.

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Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Donglu Shi