Effects of high oxygen pressures and temperatures on the stability of the three superconducting Y-Ba-Cu-O compounds

Abstract

In the course of investigating synthesis routes, stability information was developed for YBa2Cu3O7−x, Y2Ba4Cu7O15−x, and YBa2Cu4O8. The results were obtained between ∼900 and 1040 °C and involve oxygen pressures between 10 and 145 atm. The observations show that the PO2-T ranges for stability of the three phases overlap and that some stable mixtures of the phases can be synthesized. The results are compared to the results of other experimental studies and to calculations based on calorimetric data.