Fabtication of BI -2223 superconducting tapes using dip coating technique

• Main Author: Muhammad Syamil Bin Sahari
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Material; Superconductor; BSCCO

This study presents the fabrication method for the Bi-2223 phase of bismuth-based superconductor using dip-coated technique. Bi-2223 superconductor precursor powder was synthesised through solid state reaction. Bismuth (III) oxide, lead (II) oxide, strontium carbonate, calcium carbonate and copper (II) oxide was mixed and grinded in an agate mortar before calcined at 800 oC for 2 hours. The powder is compresses to pellet form using a hydraulic press at 7 tonnes before it was sintered twice at 840 oC for 48 hours. To use the dip-coated technique, Bi-2223 precursor powder need to be in form of liquid. The liquid slurry was made by mixing Bi-2223 precursor powder with trichloroethylene, sorbitan trioleate, 1-3 propanediol, poly-vinyl butyral in a proper composition. A silver strip with 99.998 % purity was used as the substrate material for the dip-coating process. After the dip-coating process, the coated silver strip underwent two stages of annealing with intermediary pressing, the first one is at 500 oC for 1 hour in flowing oxygen which is to discard all the organic binder and the second annealing is done at 840 oC for 72 hours to improve the microstructure and fix the crack formed in the pressing process. The tape was pressed to increase its packing density of the microstructure. The fabricated Bi-2223 superconducting tape was then characterised analysed using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and DC resistivity test using four-point probe apparatus.