Fabrication and properties of YBa2Cu3O7-δAg composite superconducting wires by plastic extrusion technique

YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ (Y123)-Ag composite superconducting wires were fabricated by the plastic extrusion method which involves plastic paste making, die extrusion, binder burn-out and the firing process. The as-extruded Y123-Ag wires were so flexible that they can be easily fabricated into a desirable shape. The current-carrying properties of the wire are dependent on sample size, sintering temperature and silver content. The critical current density, J _c, of the Y123 wire with a large cross-section was lower than that of the wires with a small cross-section, probably due to the large self-induced magnetic field. J _c of the Y123-Ag wires increased with increasing sintering temperature but abruptly decreased above 910 °C, which is close to the eutectic temperature of the Y–Ba–Cu–O system. A silver addition of 10–20 wt% slightly increased J _c of the Y123 (at 77 K and 0 T, it was 140 and 250 A cm ^-2 for the undoped Y123 wire and the Y123 wire with 20 wt% Ag addition, respectively), but further silver addition had a deleterious effect on J _c (180 A cm ^-2 for 30 wt% Ag addition). The small increment in J _c in the Y123 wire with 10–20 wt% Ag addition appears to be due to the enhanced densification and the associated microstructural variation. The decreased J _c of the Y123 wire with 30 wt% Ag addition is considered to be due to the formation of non-superconducting phase, Y₂BaCuO₅ (Y211), BaCuO₂ and CuO phases via the decomposition of the Y123 phase. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.