Improvement of flux pinning performance at high magnetic fields in GdBa₂Cu₃O_<i>y</i>coated conductors with BHO nano-rods through enhancement of<i>B</i>_c2

Abstract

Addition of BaHfO3 (BHO) nano-rods as pinning centers into a GdBa2Cu3Oy (GdBCO) coated conductor dramatically improves the critical current properties in high magnetic fields. This is partly ascribed to the strong flux pinning of these pinning centers. In this paper it is reported that this improvement is mainly caused by unexpected enhancement of the upper critical field, Bc2. The mechanism of the enhancement of Bc2 is not yet clear, although the strain around the interface between the pinning center and the superconducting matrix or the interface itself may scatter electrons. This result suggests that the critical current property of REBa2Cu3Oy (RE: rare earth elements, REBCO) coated conductors could be designed not only by tailoring the microstructure of pinning centers but also by controlling the intrinsic superconducting property. Especially, the selection of pinning material and its content that determines Bc2 is expected to be a key problem for further improvement of the pinning performance at high magnetic fields.