Tailoring the superconducting properties of YBa2Cu3O7-δ thin films by microstructure engineering and local oxygen doping.
Jordi Alcalà, Superconducting Materials and Functional Nanoengineered Structures (SUMAN)
Date: Wednesday, 15 May 2024
Time: 11AM
Venue: Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB, CSIC) - Sala d'Actes Carles Miravitlles
Abstract:
Advances in the science of superconductivity have numerous challenges to improve old and create new technologies able to fulfil some of the world biggest challenges; ranging from power applications (storage and transport of clean, sustainable and reliable energy) to novel electronic devices (energy efficient information technologies and data storage systems).
The individual and collective behavior of vortices (nano-tubes of magnetic flux) in a superconductor represents one of the most relevant physical aspects of these materials and it is of enormous practical significance for applications. This has sustained the study of different methods for engineering the vortex pinning landscape in order to infer in vortex dynamics of superconductors. Within this thesis, we have examined the impact of growth temperature on the formation of intrinsic pinning defects in YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) films, grown by chemical solution deposition with Barium-deficient solutions. A clear correlation between the microstructure of the films and their superconducting performance have been obtained. An efficient pinning landscape consisting of stacking faults and associated nanostrain, naturally induced by simply tuning the growth temperature without the need to add artificial pinning sites. Samples grown at optimized temperature exhibited exceptionally high self-field Jc values and improved Jc(T, H, θ) performances.
Supervisors:
Anna Palau
Narcís Mestres
PhD Comitee:
President: Alejandro V. Silhanek, Université de Liègie, Belgium.
Secretary: Elena Bartolome Porcar, Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), Spain.
Vocal: Juan Carlos González-Rosillo, Institut de Recerca en Energia de Catalunya (IREC), Spain.
University: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)
PhD Programme: Material Science
