Grain boundary studies in YBCO processed by the liquid phase removal method

Abstract
Results on grain boundary studies performed on high-current YBCO samples processed by melt texturing with the liquid phase removal method are reported. The misorientation of the a - b planes across each boundary (the kink angle) is measured in several samples. The results indicate that a predominantly large number of high-angle grain boundaries are present in these samples. The high current transport capacity of these bulk polycrystalline samples indicates that the liquid phase removal method is capable of producing good grain boundary links which allow high current to pass through. This lends promise to future applications of bulk YBCO polycrystalline materials