An Approach of the Sintering YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7− δ System

The abnormal glow discharge applied to the sintering process is a recent technique used for processing both metallic and ceramic materials. In this paper, we use the abnormal glow discharge as an alternative method for the sintering step of the YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7− δ superconductor material. The physical properties of the sintered samples by glow discharge were compared with the properties of sintered samples in resistive furnace, which is commonly used for production of high temperature superconductor ceramics. The structural analysis of the YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7− δ samples was carried out by the X-ray diffraction technique, microstructural analysis by Scanning Electron Microscopy and electrical resistivity by the four probes method (resistance measurements as a function of temperature). The experimental results permitted to establish the similar structure and morphology for all samples: produced by plasma and resistive furnace sintering. The superconducting behavior was corroborated for both sintering processes.