Probing the effect of interface on vortex pinning efficiency of one-dimensional BaZrO3 and BaHfO3 artificial pinning centers in YBa2Cu3O7-x thin films

Abstract

C-axis-aligned one-dimensional artificial pinning centers (1D-APCs) provide strong correlated pinning of magnetic vortices and enhance critical current density Jc in superconducting YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO) films and coated conductors. A fundamental question arises on what determines the pinning efficiency of different 1D-APCs. To shed light on this question, this work investigates the correlation between the 1D-APC/YBCO interface and the pinning efficiency of 1D-APCs of BaHfO3 (BHO) and BaZrO3 (BZO) of comparable diameters of 5–6 nm. Intriguingly, a highly coherent BHO 1D-APC/YBCO interface is revealed even at a high BHO doping level of 6 vol. %, in contrast to a semi-coherent BZO 1D-APC/YBCO interface with a large number of dislocations. This leads to a profound effect on the pinning efficiency of these 1D-APCs. Specifically, a record high pinning force density peak Fp,max ∼ 182.0 GN m−3 at Hmax > 9.0 T and 65 K is obtained in the former, which is 2.5 times of the best reported in the latter. Moreover, a ratio of Hmax to accommodation field H* determined from the 1D-APC areal concentration is found up to 3.5 in the former in contrast to 0.7 in the latter, demonstrating the critical impact of the APC/YBCO interface on the pinning efficiency of 1D-APCs.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Nov 19, 2018
Source ID
10.1063/1.5050616

Entities

People

  • Bibek Gautam
  • F. Javier Baca
  • Haiyan Wang
  • Jijie Huang
  • Judy Z. Wu
  • Mary Ann Sebastian
  • Rose Emergo
  • Shihong Chen
  • Shikhar Misra
  • Timothy J. Haugan
  • Zhongwen Xing

Organizations

  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research
  • Air Force Research Laboratory
  • Nanjing University
  • National Science Foundation
  • National Science Foundation Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences
  • Purdue University
  • University of Kansas

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Materials Science and Engineering.
  • Molecular and Cellular Biology
  • Superconducting Magnet Technology