Strontium titanate buffer layers deposited on rolled Ni substrates with metal organic deposition

Abstract

SrTiO3 buffer layers have been deposited on rolled Ni substrates using metal organic deposition (MOD) for HTS-coated conductors. The MOD process is based on the formation of the SrTiO3 layer coated on the surface of a Ni substrate using dip-coating as well as spin-coating techniques from a solution-based precursor, which is prepared by dissolving strontium acetate and titanium (IV) butoxide in acetic acid and methanol. The films were annealed at 950 °C for 2 h under 5% Hz-Ar gas flow. X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows that the buffer layers on the Ni tape are highly oriented. The pole figure indicates a single cube-on-cube texture in addition to SEM and AFM observations revealing a continuous, dense, smooth and crack-free microstructure for the coated buffer. These results offer the potential of further manufacturing coated conductors with high current density.