Melt-spin processing of YBa2Cu3O7−x

Abstract
We introduce a novel containerless melt-spin processing technique for YBa2Cu3O7−x using prereacted oxide powders that are rapidly melted and subsequentially quenched in a controlled atmosphere. This results in flakes with typical dimensions of 3000 × 150 × 15 μm3. Powder XRD indicates that all samples contain Y2O3, but that the Ba–Cu–O phases present depend on the processing parameters. SEM and TEM studies show these phases are finely dispersed: the typical grain size for Y2O3 is 1–2 μm, and for the Ba–Cu–O phases it is <0.5 μm.