Processing of BSCCO superconducting rods for current leads

Abstract Current leads made of ceramic superconductors promise to be one of the first applications of these materials. The high critical temperature and low thermal conductivity of ceramic superconductors make them suitable for current leads in low T c devices. Rods and tubes of BSCCO were fabricated using Cold Isostatic Pressing (CIP). The platelet morphology of BSCCO was utilized to process rods with a high degree of preferred orientation using suitably designed cans for cold isostatic pressing. The effect of starting powder, processing parameters, and loading configuration were studied and an optimum processing cycle was developed. Rods with consistent current capacities of several hundred amperes over 15 cm have been fabricated using this technique. In addition, the critical currents of these rods were measured at various temperatures and magnetic fields and found to be very satisfactory for current lead applications.