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Interfacial defects distribution and strain coupling in the vertically aligned nanocomposite YBa2Cu3O7-X/ BaSnO3 thin films

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Abstract

In this article, we report the unique microstructural characteristics of YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO)/BaSnO3 (BSO) nanocomposite thin films on LaAlO3 (LAO) substrates. The BSO secondary phase grows as self-assembled vertically aligned nanopillars uniformly distributed in the superconducting YBCO matrix. Detailed microstructure and strain studies including x-ray diffraction, cross-section and plan-view transmission electron microscopy, and geometric phase analysis reveal that, as the BSO doping concentration varied from 2 mol% to 20 mol%, the nanopillar density increased from 0.26 × 1011/cm2 to 1.44 × 1011/cm2 while the diameter of the nanopillars remains relatively constant (7–8 nm in diameter). The strain state of the YBCO matrix is affected by both lateral and vertical lattice strains; while, the BSO lattice is strongly tuned by YBCO rather than the substrate. A high-density array of dislocations in the order of 1013/cm2 was observed along the vertical heterogeneous interfaces throughout the YBCO film thickness for all doping concentrations.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (Contract No.: FA9550-09-1-0114), and AFRL–Propulsion Directorate. The TEM characterization effort was supported by National Science Foundation (NSF-0846504). J.H. Kwon was supported by the Undergraduate Summer Research program at Texas A&M University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas, 77843-3128, USA

    Yuanyuan Zhu, Chen-Fong Tsai, Jie Wang, Ji Heon Kwon & Haiyan Wang

  2. University of Dayton Research Institute, Dayton, Ohio, 45469, USA

    Chakrapani V. Varanasi, Jack Burke & Lyle Brunke

  3. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, 45433, USA

    Paul N. Barnes

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  1. Yuanyuan Zhu
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Correspondence to Haiyan Wang.

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Zhu, Y., Tsai, CF., Wang, J. et al. Interfacial defects distribution and strain coupling in the vertically aligned nanocomposite YBa2Cu3O7-X/ BaSnO3 thin films. Journal of Materials Research 27, 1763–1769 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2012.125

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