Abstract
We have grown cubic centimeter-size crystals of YBa2Cu3O x suitable for neutron studies, by a top-seeded melt-growth technique. Growth conditions were optimized with an eye toward maximizing phase purity. It was found that the addition of 2% Y2BaCuO5 and 0.5% Pt (by mass) were required to prevent melt loss and to obtain the highest crystallinity. A neutron diffraction study on a mosaic of six such crystals found that the final Y2BaCuO5 concentration was 5%, while other impurity phases comprised less than 1% by volume. The oxygen content was set to x = 6.5, the crystals were detwinned, and then carefully annealed to give the well-ordered ortho-II phase. The neutron study determined that 70% of the mosaic's volume was in the majority orthorhomic domain. The neutron (006) and (110) rocking curve widths were ∼1° per crystal and ∼2.2° for the mosaic, and the oxygen chain correlation lengths were >100 Å in the a- and b-directions and ∼50 Å in the c-direction.
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Peets, D.C., Liang, R., Stock, C. et al. Top-Seeded Melt-Growth of YBa2Cus3Ox Crystals for Neutron Diffraction Studies. Journal of Superconductivity 15, 531–534 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021230704882
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021230704882