Magnetic levitation properties of single- and multi-grain YBCO bulk superconductors

Single-grain (c-normal or c-parallel) and multi-grain YBCO superconductors were prepared by a melt growth process with/without seeding. The magnetic levitation force and trapped magnetic field at liquid N-2 temperature (77 K) of the YBCO superconductors were investigated. Samples for the levitation force measurement were zero-field cooled (ZFC) to 77 K, and samples for trapped field measurement were field-cooled (FC) using Nd magnets. As for the magnetic levitation force, the c-normal, single grain sample showed the largest value, whereas the multi-grain sample showed the lowest value. The trapped magnetic field of the c-normal and c-parallel single-grain samples was 4-5 times that of the multi-grain sample. In addition, as the external magnetic field (the number of magnets) increased, the both properties increased proportionally. These results were explained in terms of the orientation dependence of the levitation forces and the magnetic field trapping capability of the YBCO superconductor.