Synthesis and characterization of large single-domain Gd–Ba–Cu–O bulk superconductor material using a modified IG process

Large single-domain Gd–Ba–Cu–O bulk material was successfully fabricated by a modified infiltration and growth process (IG) using a liquid source composed of Gd2O3, BaCuO2 and CuO. The growth character, microstructure, and performance of the GdBCO product were investigated. The results indicate that, this modified IG technique can be used to fabricate well-textured and high performance GdBCO large single domains more efficiently. Moreover, an increasing number of small Gd2BaCuO5 (Gd-211) particles and coarsening of large Gd-211 particles were both observed in the microstructure with increasing distance from the seed, which together are jointly responsible for the increasing volume fraction of Gd-211 particles during the GdBa2Cu3O7−x (Gd-123) growth process.