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Superconducting Films and Nanostructures
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Superconducting Films and Nanostructures

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Thin Films".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 24584

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Anna Palau

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), 08017 Barcelona, Spain
Interests: strongly correlated materials; superconductors; metamaterials; oxide electronics; resistive switching

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Superconducting materials hold great promise to revolutionize sustainable energy conversion, transport, storage, and consumption, as well as offer new perspectives for novel multifunctional materials and unique electronic device applications. Since the discovery of cuprate high temperature superconductors in 1986, a large number of new superconducting materials, with promising performances, have been found. Many different techniques are used to grow high-quality superconducting films, and enormous progress has been made in introducing engineered nanostructures that are able to effectively pin vortices (quantum magnetic flux lines), or defining patterns and heterostructures that provide different functionalities. The correlation between growth, nanostructure, and physical properties is a key issue in developing practical superconducting materials.

This Special Issue aims to focus on the latest advances in superconducting film processing nanoengineering, characterization, and their fundamental impact on all practical applications.

In particular, the topics of interest include but are not limited to:

  • Thin films, multilayers, and high-temperature superconductors;
  • Nanostructured and nanocomposite superconducting films;
  • Hybrid systems (e.g., magnetic/superconductor heterostructures);
  • Low-dimensional superconductors and unconventional materials;
  • Applications and devices based on engineered superconducting films;
  • Novel functionalities in superconducting electronic devices.

Dr. Anna Palau
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 8595 KiB  
Article
Low-Fluorine Ba-Deficient Solutions for High-Performance Superconducting YBCO Films
by Pau Ternero, Jordi Alcalà, Laura Piperno, Cornelia Pop, Susagna Ricart, Narcis Mestres, Xavier Obradors, Teresa Puig, Giovanni Sotgiu, Giuseppe Celentano and Anna Palau
Coatings 2021, 11(2), 199; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11020199 - 9 Feb 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3166
Abstract
High-performing superconducting YBa2Cu3O7–x (YBCO) films are fabricated by a chemical solution deposition methodology through novel barium-deficient low-fluorine solutions. The precursor solutions, distinguished for being straightforward, inexpensive and eco-friendly, allow us to reduce the growing temperature of YBCO down [...] Read more.
High-performing superconducting YBa2Cu3O7–x (YBCO) films are fabricated by a chemical solution deposition methodology through novel barium-deficient low-fluorine solutions. The precursor solutions, distinguished for being straightforward, inexpensive and eco-friendly, allow us to reduce the growing temperature of YBCO down to 750 °C. We investigated the influence of the growing temperatures on both the microstructure and superconducting properties of YBCO films by using conventional thermal annealing and flash-heating approaches. A clear correlation between the growing temperature (Tg) and the superconducting performance of the films was obtained with improved performances observed at low Tg. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Superconducting Films and Nanostructures)
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19 pages, 6720 KiB  
Article
Chemical Solution Deposition of YBCO Films with Gd Excess
by Valentina Pinto, Angelo Vannozzi, Achille Angrisani Armenio, Francesco Rizzo, Andrea Masi, Antonino Santoni, Alexander Meledin, Fabrizio Mario Ferrarese, Silvia Orlanducci and Giuseppe Celentano
Coatings 2020, 10(9), 860; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10090860 - 4 Sep 2020
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4595
Abstract
Chemical solution deposition of Gd-doped YBCO, Y1GdyBa2Cu3O7−δ, (YBCO-Gd), film was carried out following the metal-organic decomposition approach and in situ route. Two dopant concentrations, 5 and 10 mol %, were evaluated. The [...] Read more.
Chemical solution deposition of Gd-doped YBCO, Y1GdyBa2Cu3O7−δ, (YBCO-Gd), film was carried out following the metal-organic decomposition approach and in situ route. Two dopant concentrations, 5 and 10 mol %, were evaluated. The morphology and crystalline structure of the superconductor films were deeply investigated. In general, a homogeneous and well c-axis oriented film was observed by using scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) and X-ray diffraction. However, compared to pure YBCO, YBCO-Gd samples showed an increased stacking faults concentration, as recognized by TEM. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy allowed studying the Gd distribution in the films and gathered information about the Gd electronic environment. Superconducting properties were evaluated at different temperatures, magnetic field directions, and intensities. Higher zero-field critical current densities were measured with respect to undoped samples in the temperature range from 10 to 77 K with both Gd concentrations (i.e., 28, 27, and 13 MA·cm−2, respectively, for YBCO-Gd 5%, YBCO-Gd 10%, and undoped YBCO at 10 K in self field condition). At low temperatures, this improvement was maintained up to 12 T, confirming the efficacy of Gd addition for the enhancement of transport properties of YBCO film. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Superconducting Films and Nanostructures)
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11 pages, 2308 KiB  
Article
Trilayer Films of YBa2Cu3O7−x/LaAlO3/YBa2Cu3O7−x with Superconducting Properties Prepared via Sol-Gel Method
by Chuanbao Wu and Yunwei Wang
Coatings 2020, 10(7), 686; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10070686 - 16 Jul 2020
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3077
Abstract
The YBa2Cu3O7−x/LaAlO3/YBa2Cu3O7−x (YBCO/LAO/YBCO) heterogeneous trilayer film structures were prepared on the LaAlO3 (001) single-crystal substrate via the sol-gel method. The characteristics of the phase, orientation, and superconducting [...] Read more.
The YBa2Cu3O7−x/LaAlO3/YBa2Cu3O7−x (YBCO/LAO/YBCO) heterogeneous trilayer film structures were prepared on the LaAlO3 (001) single-crystal substrate via the sol-gel method. The characteristics of the phase, orientation, and superconducting properties were studied via an X-ray diffractometer and a comprehensive physical property measurement system. The results show that when the LAO layer was thin (<40 nm), the trilayer films were relatively pure and had a high c-axis orientation. When the nominal thickness of the LAO layer increased to 70 nm, non-c-axis oriented grains started to appear in the trilayer film. In this case, the top and bottom YBCO layers exhibited superconducting properties, and the resistance was found to be zero at 80.1 and 72.5 K, respectively. In addition, for the YBCO/LAO (40 nm)/YBCO structure, the intermediate LAO layer was too thin to completely cover the surface of the underlying YBCO. This resulted in point contact and micro-bridge contact in several micro-regions, thus forming a weak connection and exhibiting a current-voltage (I–V) characteristic similar to the direct-current (DC) Josephson effect. On the other hand, for the YBCO/LAO (70 nm)/YBCO structure, the thicker LAO layer could completely cover the underlying YBCO surface, which could isolate the superconducting current between the YBCO layers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Superconducting Films and Nanostructures)
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10 pages, 3413 KiB  
Article
Rapid Pyrolysis of SmBa2Cu3O7-δ Films in CSD-MOD Using Extremely-Low-Fluorine Solutions
by Minjuan Li, Pablo Cayado, Manuela Erbe, Alexandra Jung, Jens Hänisch, Bernhard Holzapfel, Zhiyong Liu and Chuanbing Cai
Coatings 2020, 10(1), 31; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10010031 - 1 Jan 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3299
Abstract
SmBa2Cu3O7-δ (SmBCO) films have been prepared by chemical solution deposition starting from extremely-low-fluorine solutions (7% fluorine with respect to standard full trifluoroacetate solutions). Smooth and homogeneous SmBCO films could be achieved at heating rates of up to 20 [...] Read more.
SmBa2Cu3O7-δ (SmBCO) films have been prepared by chemical solution deposition starting from extremely-low-fluorine solutions (7% fluorine with respect to standard full trifluoroacetate solutions). Smooth and homogeneous SmBCO films could be achieved at heating rates of up to 20 °C/min during pyrolysis. The best films were achieved at a crystallization temperature of 810 °C and 50 ppm of oxygen partial pressure. At these conditions, the ~270 nm thick SmBCO films grow mostly c-axis-oriented with J c sf values at 77 K of ~2 MA/cm2 and critical temperatures Tc of up to 95.0 K. These results demonstrate that using extremely-low-fluorine solutions is very attractive since the production rate can be largely increased due to the solutions’ robustness during pyrolysis retaining a remarkable quality of the grown films. Nevertheless, further optimization of the growth process is needed to improve the superconducting properties of the films. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Superconducting Films and Nanostructures)
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15 pages, 1893 KiB  
Article
Superconducting HfO2-YBa2Cu3O7−δ Nanocomposite Films Deposited Using Ink-Jet Printing of Colloidal Solutions
by Hannes Rijckaert, Pablo Cayado, Rainer Nast, Javier Diez Sierra, Manuela Erbe, Pedro López Dominguez, Jens Hänisch, Klaartje De Buysser, Bernhard Holzapfel and Isabel Van Driessche
Coatings 2020, 10(1), 17; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10010017 - 26 Dec 2019
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 5940
Abstract
To reduce the fabrication costs while maximizing the superconducting and pinning properties of YBa2Cu3O7−δ (YBCO) nanocomposite films, the drop-on-demand ink-jet printing technique was used to deposit colloidal YBCO inks onto LaAlO3 substrates. These inks containing preformed HfO [...] Read more.
To reduce the fabrication costs while maximizing the superconducting and pinning properties of YBa2Cu3O7−δ (YBCO) nanocomposite films, the drop-on-demand ink-jet printing technique was used to deposit colloidal YBCO inks onto LaAlO3 substrates. These inks containing preformed HfO2 nanocrystals were carefully adjusted, prior to the jettability, as the droplet formation depends on the rheological properties of the inks themselves. After carefully adjusting printing parameters, 450-nm thick pristine YBCO films with a self-field critical current density (Jc) of 2.7 MA cm−² at 77 K and 500-nm thick HfO2-YBCO nanocomposite films with a self-field Jc of 3.1 MA·cm−² at 77 K were achieved. The final HfO2-YBCO nanocomposite films contained dispersed BaHfO3 particles in a YBCO matrix due to the Ba2+ reactivity with the HfO2 nanocrystals. These nanocomposite films presented a more gradual decrease of Jc with the increased magnetic field. These nanocomposite films also showed higher pinning force densities than the pristine films. This pinning enhancement was related to the favorable size and distribution of the BaHfO3 particles in the YBCO matrix. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Superconducting Films and Nanostructures)
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11 pages, 3274 KiB  
Article
Enhancement of Critical Current Density by Establishing a YBa2Cu3O7−x/LaAlO3/YBa2Cu3O7−x Quasi-Trilayer Architecture Using the Sol-Gel Method
by Chuanbao Wu and Yunwei Wang
Coatings 2019, 9(7), 437; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings9070437 - 13 Jul 2019
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3478
Abstract
We developed a solution-derived method to establish a YBa2Cu3O7−x/LaAlO3/YBa2Cu3O7−x quasi-trilayer architecture. Using the method, nano-scale pinning sites were induced into the quasi-trilayer architecture and yielded an apparent improvement [...] Read more.
We developed a solution-derived method to establish a YBa2Cu3O7−x/LaAlO3/YBa2Cu3O7−x quasi-trilayer architecture. Using the method, nano-scale pinning sites were induced into the quasi-trilayer architecture and yielded an apparent improvement in the in-field critical current density (Jc) of high-quality YBa2Cu3O7−x (YBCO). The improvement in the in-field Jc of the films was closely related to the thickness of the LaAlO3 (LAO) interlayer. In this paper it is demonstrated that when the nominal interlayer thickness approximates 20 nm, which is slightly higher than the roughness of the YBa2Cu3O7−x surface, the LaAlO3 interlayer is discontinuous due to synchromesh-like growth of the LaAlO3 layer on relatively rough YBa2Cu3O7−x surface resulting from the mobility of the solution. Nanoscale defects, such as particles, some amorphous phases, and especially their concomitant lattice defects (such as stacking faults and plane buckling) arise in YBa2Cu3O7−x layers. These nanoscale defects could play a role in flux pinning and thus enhancing Jc. The effective non-vacuum solution to induce vortex pinning into YBa2Cu3O7−x films could be a reference for the further design of an optimal pinning landscape for higher Jc. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Superconducting Films and Nanostructures)
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