Critical current density improvement in BSCCO superconductors by application of an electric current during laser floating zone growth

BSCCO fibres with nominal compositions 2:2:1:2, 2:2:2:3 and 2:2:2:4 were grown by LFZ and EALFZ (electrically assisted) processes. The application of an electrical current during the crystallization process promotes the radial distribution homogeneity of the primary crystallization cuprate. Besides, a notable feature is the strong grain alignment along the fibre axis direction obtained when the EALFZ technique is used. Both effects enhance the current transport properties. This improvement was more pronounced for fibres with lesser amounts of Ca and Cu in the nominal composition. For the 2:2:1:2 fibre, a value of JC = 2830 A/cm2 was obtained by the EALFZ technique, much higher than the one achieved in the conventional LFZ fibres (JC = 1160 A/cm2)