Low-Temperature Pinning Behavior of MOD YBCO Coated Conductors

We have investigated the temperature and field dependence of the critical current for YBCO coated conductors fabricated by metal-organic deposition. Samples with Dy₂O₃ or BaZrO₃ nanoparticle pinning centers were compared with undoped and Dy-substituted YBCO. While emphasis in development is often limited by practical constraints to measurements at 77 K and self-field, the majority of applications will require operation at much lower temperatures and moderate-to-high magnetic fields. We compare I_c(B,T) for temperatures in the range 20-77 K and magnetic fields up to 7 T. Pinning enhancements observed at 77 K and attributed to nanoparticle additions are less conspicuous at 20 K.