Effect of Ag₂O addition on the trapped fields and mechanical properties of Nd–Ba–Cu–O bulk superconductors

We investigated the effect of Ag₂O addition on the microstructures, the superconducting properties, the field-trapping capabilities and the mechanical properties of Nd–Ba–Cu–O (Nd123:Nd422 = 10:2) bulk superconductors. The samples were added with 10 wt% and 20 wt% Ag₂O and grown in 1% O₂–Ar atmosphere. The superconducting properties and the field-trapping capabilities were not affected by Ag₂O content; however, the mechanical properties were greatly improved with increasing Ag₂O content. The sample with 20 wt% Ag₂O exhibited the Weibull coefficient exceeding 13.