Superior HTS coated-conductors via green processing

The slow production rate of a few meters per hour results from the standard vacuum deposition process of the HTS layer, in which the REBa2Cu3O7 material must have a bi-epitaxial microstructure. This problem has been tackled worldwide by the development of a sol-gel process for chemical solution deposition on the wire substrate, which has the potential of speeding up the production rate and decreasing the production costs significantly. Unfortunately, the toxicity of the chemicals involved in the HTS layer deposition process (trifluoroacetates) and the hazard risks related to this process (i.e. release of HF fumes), raise serious concerns about safety inside and in the vicinity of future large production plants. This shortcoming might be avoided by the development of a fluorine-free, water-based sol-gel process. This project the aims at performing detailed investigations of the phase formation mechanisms involved in this new, potentially cheap and harmless production route.