Structural, magnetic, and thermal properties of 3D-printed porous Y-Ba-Cu-O superconductors

YBCO openwork structures were 3D-printed as cuboids with 4.5 × 4.5 × 2mm dimensions and various filling degrees. Initial pycnometric data showed a slight variation in specimen densities (~6.153g/cm3), proving the production process uniformity. The consistency of superconducting YBCO phase (Y-123) was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Microstructural and chemical homogeneity was proven by electron microscopy with microprobe analysis. Transport (electrical and thermal) measurements accompanied by simulations of magnetic flux density at the produced structures revealed that they are heavily dependent of filling ratio and geometry. Additionally, this work proves that the 3D-printing is an excellent method of fabricating high-quality superconducting structures of desired shapes accordingly to applicational demands.