Microstructures and Properties of Dy123 Single-grain Bulks Fabricated from Spark Plasma Sintered Precursors

In order to produce low porosity superconducting bulks, we have investigated the microstructures and properties of DyBa2Cu3Ox (Dy123) single-grain bulks fabricated by using precursors prepared through the spark plasma sintering (SPS) process. It was observed that the porosity decreased with increasing the SPS temperature. However, the peak height of the trapped magnetic field decreased. This is probably because of the contamination of the precursors from the SPS die and the shortage of oxygen content. It is expected that low porosity superconducting bulks with high superconducting and mechanical properties are obtained in air by optimizing the SPS conditions.