Mechanical and superconducting properties of sintered composite YBa2Cu3O7−δ tape on a silver substrate

Flexible sintered composite YBa2Cu3O7−δ tapes on a silver substrate have been fabricated by the tape casting technique followed by appropriate sintering. The sintered composite tape can be bent into an arc of a 27-mm-diam circle without breaking. This represents approximately 2% strain, as compared with a typical YBa2Cu3O7−δ superconductor material without silver, which fractures at a strain of ∼0.1–0.2%. The silver addition does not adversely affect the superconducting properties of the composite.