Crystal growth experiment of Ag/YBCO composites was performed by the zone melting method which gives a higher temperature gradient near the freezing front. Y123+40 mol%Y211+10 mass%Ag+1 mass%Pt compacts were used for starting materials. These rod-like compacts were solidified by the zone melting method under the solidification condition of
G=2.0×10
4(K/m) or 1.0×10
4(K/m) and
R=0.17∼0.28(μm/s), where
G was a temperature gradient, and
R was a solidification rate.
Ag-free region was formed along the growth direction in the central part of each Y123 cell. Though the width of this Ag-free region became smaller with the increase in solidification rate, from the relationship between cell spacing and Ag-free region, Ag particles were trapped into Y123 crystal only at intercellular regions.
The cellular spacing of Y123 crystals, λ (μm) depended on
G and the relations were expressed by λ
cell=3.0×10
6·(1/
G). Though a higher
G gave rise to finer cells, Ag particles were still distributed nonuniformly in Y123 crystal.
By controlling crystal growth direction 〈100〉 using a seed crystal, Y123 crystal grew with flat interface, which lead to the uniform distribution of fine Ag particles in Y123. The mean radius,
r0(μm) of Ag particles dispersed in Y123 depended on the growth rate,
Ri(μm/s), and the relations were expressed by
r0=0.52·
Ri−1.
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