Investigating the Role of Silver Addition in the Synthesis of YBaCuO
Ceramic Nanowires via Solution-Blown Spinning

Edimar A S Duran, Alfonso P Arrieta, Rodolfo Izquierdo, Enesio M. S. Junior and Rafael Zadoronsy

São Paulo State University (Unesp), Faculty of Engineering, Campus Ilha Solteira

NP2024-021.pdf

Abstract:
The advancement of nanotechnology aims to improve existing applications and sustainably and economically create new materials. High-temperature superconductors hold significant promise in this domain, particularly in novel devices like nanowire superconducting single-photon detectors (SNSPDs). Typically, the manufacturing of SNSPD devices involves complex and costly techniques for producing nanowire materials for the technological field. The solution-blown spinning (SBS) technique has emerged as a cost-effective and sustainable alternative for the SNSPD production. Unfortunately, ceramic nanowires produced via SBS are still highly fragile. Hence, we studied the effects of Silver (Ag) on YBCO ceramics to improve their mechanical and superconducting properties using both theoretical and experimental approaches. In the theoretical section, some periodic DFT calculations were employed to investigate the doping of Ag into the periodic lattice of YBCO in its orthorhombic phase. Specifically, we incorporated an effective on-site Hubbard parameter (Ueff= 9 eV) to accurately model the localized Cu d orbitals. In the experimental section, Ag acetate was added to the precursor solution containing Y, Ba, and Cu acetates with polyvinylpyrrolidone [1] as a reducing and stabilizing agent. The results indicate that Ag significantly affects the phase formation temperature of YBCO, reducing it up to 895 °C. At theoretical level, the electronic structure calculations on pristine YBCO revealed its metallic nature, with lattice parameters of a = 3.825 Å, b = 3.865 Å, and c = 11.594 Å, demonstrating excellent agreement with experimental observations. Furthermore, the formation energies of Y, Ba, Cu, and O vacancies, and Ag substitutional defects at different lattice sites, were determined.