Structural and morphological characterization of YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x films deposited by screen printing from YBa₂Cu₃O_6.962 superconductor in bulk

Abstract YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x films were deposited onto flexible copper substrates by screen printing technique. YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x films were prepared from a YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x superconductor powder with ethylene glycol. The mixtures were screen printed and then sintered in air at different temperatures: 373, 473, and 573 K. The structural characterization showed the presence of different phases; the proportion of phases in films depends on sintering temperature. Scanning electron microscope images showed that an annealing temperature increase leads to an increase in grain size due to a coalescence process, which promotes the growth of superconductor phases with higher oxygen content.