Flux Pinning by Barium Stannate Nanoparticles in MOD YBCO Coated Conductors

Tin-based nanoparticles, proposed to be barium stannate, have been formed in YBCO films fabricated by metal-organic deposition, through modification of the precursor solution. These randomly-oriented 30-50 nm particles are dispersed throughout the film thickness, providing an enhancement in the isotropic flux pinning relative to undoped YBCO. For a low level of nanoparticle addition of 2 vol%, a flux-pinning force enhancement of up to 32% is achieved. We report field and field-angle dependence of the transport critical current, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction of our YBCO films on RABiTS substrates, and compare with similar barium zirconate additions.