95 K NdBCO single crystal grown in air by controlling liquid composition

Using the crystal pulling method, we achieved high superconducting transition temperatures (T-r) of Nd1+xBa2-xCu3O6+delta (NdBCO) single crystals in air. By controlling the liquid composition of the ration of Ba to Cu (Ba/Cu) at approximately 0.80. the NdBCO crystal displays high T-c of about 95 K with a sharp transition width Delta T of less than 0.5 K. The high Ba/Cu in the liquid leads to the low amount of substitution of Nd for Ba, and consequently results in high superconducting properties. This finding suggests that the Ba/Cu in the liquid is a very important processing parameter for the NdBCO system.