Tuning the superconducting properties of YBa2Cu3O7 tapes grown by chemical methods

Two innovative strategies for the growth of artificial pinning centers by using chemical methods are presented. First one consists of the controlled generation of artificial nanostructured templates by using diluted metalorganic solutions. We show the role of the different growth parameters as well as lattice mismatch in the final template (either BaZrO3 nanodots on SrTiO3 or CeO2 nanodots on LaAlO3). Second approach is the growth of secondary phase oxide nanoparticles (BaZrO3 and Y2O3) inside the YBCO matrix grown by the trifluoroacetates route. The relevance of lattice mismatch is also investigated in this case. We show that both strategies lead to a significant improvement of vortex pinning properties of the YBCO films suggesting that artificial pinning centers has been effectively generated. These results prove that chemical methods are a promising technique for the nanostructuration of coated conductors