Melt-processed Gd-Ba-Cu-O superconductor with trapped field of 3 T at 77 K

We fabricated a single-domain Gd-Ba-Cu-O bulk superconductor 65 mm in diameter and studied the microstructure, superconducting and field-trapping properties. Melt-processing was performed under a controlled oxygen partial pressure of 1.0% using a precursor containing Gd123 and Gd211 powders in a molar ratio of 2:1, with 0.5 wt% of Pt and 20 wt% of Ag₂O added. The distribution of Ag and Gd211 particles was almost homogeneous. The addition of Ag was very effective in reducing the amount of cracking in the sample. The maximum trapped magnetic field recorded was 3.05 T at 77 K. We also measured the trapped field between two Gd-Ba-Cu-O bulk samples in order to minimize the demagnetizing effect and found that the trapped field reached 4.3 T at 77 K.