We studied the effect of lead content (x = 0.20−0.40) on the critical current density Jc (0 T, 77 K), irreversibility field H* (77 K), and microstructure of monocore, Ag-clad Bi1.8PbxSr2Ca2Cu3Oy (2223) tapes, finding that tapes with lower lead contents (x = 0.20–0.25) required higher processing temperatures (840 and 832 °C, respectively) to complete 2223 formation, as compared to the optimum 820 °C reaction temperature of the x = 0.30–0.40 tapes. We found that both the zero-field and the in-field properties correlated strongly to the phase purity with Jc (0 T, 77 K) reaching a maximum of ˜20 kA/cm2 for x = 0.30, and then decreasing with increasing lead content to ˜12 kA/cm2 for x = 0.40. H* (77 K) increased from ˜165 mT at x = 0.20 to ˜265 mT at x = 0.30, then declined to 195 mT at x = 0.40. Optimizing the lead content at x = 0.30 maximized both the connectivity and the flux pinning contributions to the critical current density.

The rate at which Ag-clad (Bi, Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox tapes are cooled from their final reaction heat treatment influences both the intergranular connectivity and intragranular flux pinning strength of the polycrystalline filaments. As the cooling rate from 825 °C to 730 °C in 7.5% O2 was decreased over a range of 5 °C/min to 0.005 °C/min, Jc (77 K, 0 T) increased from ∼8 to ∼24 kA/cm2, and the irreversibility field increased from, ∼120 to, ∼200 mT. The Jc (4.2 K, 0 T) increased in a similar fashion. Cooling slowly also sharpened the critical temperature transition and increased the critical onset temperature from 107 K to 109 K. These improvements in the superconducting properties occurred despite partial decomposition of the (Bi, Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox phase into non-superconducting impurity phases during the slow cooling. A microstructural basis for these multiple effects is described.

The decomposition of almost fully reacted (Bi, Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox (BSCCO-2223) tapes caused by heating in 1 atm of pure O2 at 825 °C has been studied. It was found that partially decomposing 2223 tapes to a mixture of Bi2Sr2Ca1Cu2Oy, (Ca, Sr)2PbO4, and other secondary phases reduced the critical current density (77 K, 0 T) from ∼20 kA/cm2 to nearly zero. Reheating the tapes in 7.5% O2 restored the 2223 phase and, while there was some degradation of the 2223 grain alignment due to residual secondary phase growth, the critical current density was also restored to nearly its original value. We hypothesize that such a decomposition/reformation process can be useful in increasing the connectivity and relative density of polycrystalline 2223, by encouraging the formation of a liquid phase which heals residual cracks in the BSCCO core.