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Chemical solution processing of Gd2Zr2O7 (GZO) thin films via sol-gel and metalorganic decomposition (MOD) precursor routes have been studied on textured Ni-based tape substrates. Even though films processed by both techniques showed similar property characteristics, the MOD-derived samples developed a high degree of texture alignment at significantly lower temperatures. Both precursor chemistries resulted in exceptionally dense, pore-free, and smooth microstructures, reflected in the cross-sectional and plan-view high-resolution scanning and transmission electron microscopy studies. On the MOD GZO buffered Ni-3at.% W (Ni-W) substrates with additional CeO2/YSZ sputtered over layers, a 0.8-µm-thick YBa2Cu3O7-8 (YBCO) film, grown by an ex situ metalorganic trifluoroacetate precursor method, yielded critical current, Ic (77 K, self-field), of 100 A/cm width. Furthermore, using pulsed-laser deposited YBCO films, a zero-field superconducting critical current density, Jc (77 K), of 1 x 106 A/cm² was demonstrated on an all-solution, simplified CeO2(MOD)/GZO(MOD)/Ni-W architecture. The present study establishes GZO buffers as a candidate material for low-cost, all-solution coated conductor fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new series of rare earth-niobate, RE3NbO7 (RE = Y,Gd,Eu), buffer layers were developed for the growth of superconducting Yba2Cu3O7-8 (YBCO) films on biaxially textured Ni-W (3 at. %) substrates. Using chemical solution deposition, smooth, crack-free, and epitaxial RE3NbO7 (RE = Y,Gd,Eu) films were grown on cube-textured Ni-W substrate. YBCO film with a critical current density of 1.1 x 106 A/cm² in self-field at 77 K was grown directly on a single Gd³NbO7-buffered Ni-W substrate using pulsed laser deposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]