DRYING OF Y-Ba-Cu-O COMPLEX OXIDE SUSPENSION BY SUPERCRITICAL CARBON DIOXIDE

Fine and homogeneous powders of Y-Ba-Cu complex oxides are necessary to improve the quality of YBCO bulk high temperature superconductors. The powders which contain BaCO₃ must be sintered for producing YBCO super-conductors at temperature above 850 °C. Therefore, complex oxide is desired. In order to prepare fine complex oxides powders, suspension was synthesized by simultaneous hydrolization of 2-propanol solution of metal isopropoxides. However, the suspension was not dried by a hot air drying method, because aggregation occurs due to cohesion of particle along with evaporation. Also, the suspension could not be freeze-dried, because the freezing point of 2-propanol is -88.5°C. So, supercritical fluid drying method using supercritical carbon dioxide was applied. The results from these experiments suggest that this method is useful for drying of the suspension prepared by the alkoxide route.