Synthesis of Y-Ba-Cu-O Ultrafine Powders by Spray Drying and Subsequent Calcination under Low Pressure

The calcination of homogeneous precursor powder of a Y-Ba-Cu-O superconductor derived from a spray drying and low-pressure calcining method led us to obtain fine homogeneous particles with a particle size of about 0.08 μm. The factors of minimization of the particle size were uniformity of the precursor powder and avoidance of increasing BaCO₃. Sintered bodies obtained by sintering at relatively lower temperatures showed the texture with sub-micron size.