Growth mechanism of EuBa2Cu3Ox single-crystalline whiskers from Ca and Te doped precursors

We have grown Eu-123 single-crystal whiskers by annealing of precursor pellets containing Ca and Te. Microstructural and compositional analysis was performed on the longitudinal cross-section of a whisker and the area from where the whisker originated. Our observations elucidated some aspects of the growth mechanism from bulk precursor. While plate-like Eu-123 phase was observed in all parts of the precursor pellet, simultaneous precipitation and growth of some needle-shaped Eu-123 crystal is thought to be driven by the formation of the residual phase (Ba, Ca)3TeO6 phase. The whiskers were annealed in different oxidation conditions and their superconducting properties were studied by temperature dependence of magnetic susceptibility and resistivity measurements.