YBa2Cu3O7-x thick films on silver tubes for magnetic shielding applications

YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO) thick films are investigated for magnetic shielding applications at low frequencies (< 1 kHz). This requires deposition of YBCO on curved substrates such as tubes, half-tubes or even more complex shapes. Electrophoretic Deposition (EPD) is an efficient method to achieve this goal: positively-charged YBCO particles suspended in a non aqueous medium drift towards the substrate, used as negative electrode for the application of the electric field. A crucial point is then to optimize the heat treatment of the as-deposited layers in order to achieve suitable superconducting properties. In the present work, we have developed a new suspension formulation in butanol, using a suitable surfactant to stabilize the suspension of YBCO powder (grain size < 2 µm). The EPD parameters (deposition voltage, deposition time, number of layers,...) have been selected to provide uniform layers of YBCO on silver substrates of various shapes. In the proposed communication, we shall discuss in detail the optimization of the heat treatments to achieve densification, peritectic recombination and oxygenation of the YBCO thick films deposited on silver. Scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive analysis was extensively used to characterize the (i) density / porosity, (ii) presence of macro-cracks, (iii) thickness uniformity, (iv) secondary phase content. We shall then present the characterization of the superconducting properties of the best films. Typically, a uniformly coated 55μm-thick YBCO film on a curved Ag substrate shows a magnetic Tc onset at 92.2 K and sharp resistive transition (< 1K).