Thick Film Superconductors — Preliminary Results Available to Purchase

A superconducting material with the composition YBa1.8Pb0.2Cu3O7 was synthesised. The influence of PbO addition on the sintering and formation of the superconducting compound YBa2Cu3O7 was investigated. A thick film paste, prepared from prereacted material and an organic vehicle, was fired on Al2O3 and ZrO2 substrates. The resistivity of samples on ZrO2 substrates decreased to zero around 90 K, while samples on Al2O3 substrates did not reach zero resistivity until 77 K, which is probably due to the differences in thermal expansion coefficient between Al2O3 and the superconducting material. Interactions between Pt alloy based thick film conductors and superconducting material were studied.