Apparatus and systems comprising a clad superconductive oxide body, and method for producing such body

Abstract

A method of producing normal-metal-clad superconductive oxide wire, tape and the like is disclosed. The method comprises forming an intermediate body by surrounding a quantity of the oxide powder (e.g., Ba.sub.2 YCu.sub.3 O.sub.6.9) with an appropriate normal metal jacket, reducing the cross section of the intermediate body by any appropriate technique (e.g., drawing or rolling), and heat treating the elongated body such that substantial sintering of the powder results, and such that, after completion of the heat treatment, the sintered oxide has a composition that is associated with superconductivity in unclad bulk samples of the oxide. The latter condition requires that at least the portion of the cladding that is in contact with the oxide powder is substantially inert with respect to oxygen and the oxide under the conditions of the heat treatment. Silver is the currently preferred inert normal metal. Exemplarily, Ag can be used to provide a diffusion barrier with other normal metal (e.g., Ni and Cu) surrounding the diffusion barrier, or the cladding can consist substantially of Ag. Various techniques for preventing oxygen loss and/or restoring lost oxygen from the powder are disclosed. Advantageously the elongated body is appropriately shaped (e.g., wound into a helical coil) prior to the heat treatment. Elongate bodies produced according to the invention can advantageously be used as superconductive magnets, and in a variety of other apparatus and systems.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.