We reported previously that a high-quality REBaCuO bulk (about 20 mm in diameter and 10 mm in thickness) can be obtained using a high-density REBCO precursor prepared by the spark plasma sintering (SPS) method [1]. However, to prepare a precursor larger than 60 mm in diameter, a large SPS apparatus must be required, which results in a high cost. On the other hand, fine powder is well known to offer a highly dense precursor, for which it is another disadvantage that compression defects often occurs during pelletization [2]. Therefore, in this paper, we aimed to granulate Ag-GdBCO powder using an acrylic resin powder as a binder and produce a high-quality REBCO bulk.
The Ag-GdBCO powder was ball-milled and mixed using stainless steel media. Stearic acid as a lubricant and an acrylic resin acting as a binder were added during this process. No compaction defects were found in the green compacts made using the granulated Ag-GdBCO granules, which resulted in the high-quality bulk successfully. In the presentation, we will also report on the detailed degreasing conditions of the precursor and the trapped magnetic field characteristics of the obtained Ag-GdBCO bulk.
[1] H. Hakoishi et al., IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. 33 (2023) 6800405
[2] S. Nariki et al., Physica C 463-465 (2007) 308
Keywords: Ag-GdBCO single grain bulk, Granulation, Degreasing, Trapped field