No abstract

No abstract

Homogeneous solutions of yttrium, barium and copper 2-(2-methoxy)-ethoxyethoxides in 2-(2-methoxy)ethoxyethanol of appropriate lY:2Ba:3Cu stoichiometry have been prepared and used in sol-gel synthesis of YBa2Cu3O7-δ. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the preparation of a homogeneous solution of yttrium, barium and copper homoleptic alkoxides dissolved only in the parent alcohol. These solutions provide an excellent starting point for sol-gel synthesis of YBa2Cu3O7-° since the metals are mixed on the molecular scale, and because the solutions are stable with no possibility of ligand exchange to give insoluble products. Hydrolysis and careful heat treatment of gels produced from these solutions yield nearly pure tetragonal YBa2Cu3O7-δ at temperatures as low as 725°C. The preparation of these solutions and their characterization by small-angle x-ray scattering measurements and TEM are reported, as well as preliminary data pertaining to their use in the sol-gel synthesis of YBa2Cu3O7-δ.

No abstract

We have investigated the homogeneity of sol‐gel derived YBa2Cu307‐s from the solution phase to the final product using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), x‐ray diffraction (XRD), and Energy Dispersive X‐ray (EDX) lateral mapping techniques. The starting solutions contain stoichiometric amounts of the metal 2‐(2‐methoxyethoxy)ethoxide components in 2‐(2‐methoxyethoxy)ethanol and appear to be homogeneous by TEM with a uniform distribution of particles having an average size of less than 40 â. Through elemental mapping we see elemental segregation in the high temperature (950 °C) products, which are orthorhombic by XRD. In elemental maps of gel samples fired to 700 °C, which are tetragonal by XRD, we also see elemental inhomogeneity within particles and phase zoning in maps of products from finely ground gels. A comparison of elemental maps and x‐ray diffraction patterns of the products from gel processing and conventional solid state processing is made.