La 0.7 Sr 0.3 MnO 3 : A single, conductive-oxide buffer layer for the development of YBa2Cu3O7−δ coated conductors

Coated conductor applications in power technologies require stabilization of the high-temperature superconducting (HTS) layers against thermal runaway. Conductive La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) has been epitaxially grown on biaxially textured Ni substrates as a single buffer layer. The subsequent epitaxial growth of YBa2Cu3O7−δ (YBCO) coatings by pulsed laser deposition yielded self-field critical current densities (Jc) of 0.5×106 A/cm2 at 77 K, and provided good electrical connectivity over the entire structure (HTS+conductive-buffer+metal substrate). Property characterizations of YBCO/LSMO/Ni architecture revealed excellent crystallographic and morphological properties. These results have demonstrated that LSMO, used as a single, conductive buffer layer, may offer potential for use in fully stabilized YBCO coated conductors.