Microstructure and magnetization of Y-Ba-Cu-O prepared by melt quenching, partial melting and doping

Y-Ba-Cu-O samples prepared by means of a variety of melt-based techniques exhibit high values for their magnetic properties compared with those of samples prepared by solid state sintering. These techniques include single-stage partial melting as well as melt quenching followed by a second heat treatment stage, and they have been applied to the stoichiometric 123 composition as well as to formulations containing excess yttrium or other dopants. The structure of these melt-based samples is highly aligned, and the magnetization readings exhibit large anisotropy. At 77 K and magnetic field intensities of about 2 kOe, diamagnetic susceptibilities as high as -14 x 10(exp -3) emu/g were obtained in the cases of melt-quenched samples and remanent magnetization values as high as 10 emu/g for samples prepared by partial melting.