Synthesis, Selective Laser Sintering and Infiltration of High Super Tc Dual Phase Ag-YBa2Cu307-x Superconductor Composites

Fine, homogeneous dual phase Ag-YBa2Cu307-x composite powders were prepared by a simple colloidal sol-gel co-precipitation technique. Silver did not react with or degrade YBa2Cu307-x. Bulk porous samples of pure YBa2Cu307-x and Ag-YBa2Cu307-x were made from powders by Selective Laser Sintering. The porous parts were further densified by infiltrating silver into pores, resulting in a dense, structurally sound dual phase superconducting composite. Laser processing parameters were varied to obtain optimum microstructure. The laser sintered parts required oxygen annealing after infiltration to restore the orthorhombic, superconducting structure. X-ray diffraction and Tc measurements indicate some impurity phases present in samples processed under aggressive laser conditions.