In-field performance and flux pinning mechanism of pulsed laser deposition grown BaSnO3/GdBa2Cu3O7-δ nanocomposite coated conductors by SuperOx

Abstract

We investigate the field, angle and temperature dependence of the full-width critical current, I c, of pulsed laser deposition-grown GdBa2Cu3O7 coated conductors with and without additional 6 mol% BaSnO3 (BSO) nanoparticles fabricated by SuperOx. The transport characteristics measured from 7 to 77 K and in applied magnetic fields of up to 6 T are complemented by scanning transmission electron microscopy. This combined approach allows for further insight into the vortex pinning mechanism and helps with understanding the enhancement in I c. An exemplary scaling of the pinning force curves versus field at different temperatures confirms the additional contribution to pinning by the BSO nanoparticles. Through the temperature dependence of I c, the weak and strong pinning contributions are determined: strong pinning dominates over almost the entire temperature range especially near the matching field of 1 T, where the largest enhancement in I c is achieved.