Development of non-weak link bulk YBCO grain boundaries for high magnetic field engineering applications

A non-weak link joining technique has been developed for YBCO pseudo-crysta ls fabricated by seeded peritectic solidification based on the formation of a liquid phase which segregates from the platelet boundaries at temperatur es above approximate to 920 degrees C, Electrical and magnetic measurements on these boundaries suggest that their irreversibility field can be as hig h as 7 T at 77 Ii in fully oxygenated pseudo-crystals joined along their cr ystallographic ab-planes which is comparable to the irreversibility behavio ur of the adjacent YBCO grains.