Single Crystal Growth of Ba2NdCu3O7-δ from BaCO3-Nd2O3-CuO Solution

Abstract
Four to five mm square Ba2NdCu3O7-δ single-crystal plates were grown by slow cooling of a CuO-rich BaCO3-Nd2O3-CuO solution maintained at 1000 to 1200°C. Thin platelets and cube-like crystals of mm size were also prepared. This crystal size improvement is attributed to the fact that Ba2NdCu3O7-δ has the highest thermal stability among superconducting oxides Ba2RCu3O7-δ (R=Y and lanthanoids).