High current superconducting wires have been one of the most challenging achievements during all the HTS era which encompasses many materials science and engineering challenges. Coated conductors of YBa₂Cu₃O₇ (CC-YBCO) have emerged as the most attractive opportunity to reach unique performances at high and low temperatures, while reducing the cost/performance ratio continues to be a key objective for their marketability. Chemical solution deposition (CSD) is a very competitive cost-effective deposition technique which has been used to obtain nanocomposite films and CCs, however their growth rates is rather small (0.5-1 nm/s) when the BaF₂ route is used. To address this challenge, we are developing a novel growth approach, entitled Transient Liquid Assisted Growth (TLAG)[1], which is able to combine CSD of non-fluorine precursors with ultrahigh growth rates mediated by a non-equilibrium transient liquid (100-1000 nm/s), being compatible with nanocomposite and coated conductors growth. Critical current densities up of 5 MA/cm² at 77K are already realized in thin films and now the process is being transferred to thicker films and metallic substrates. In this presentation, the progress on the growth mechanisms, kinetic driven effects, growth rates, correlation between growth and properties, and vortex pinning will be discussed. The use of fast acquisition in-situ XRD imaging (100 ms/frame) under synchrotron radiation, transmission electron microscopy, in-situ resistivity experiments and angular transport measurements have been crucial for this study.

We acknowledge funding from EU-ERC_AdG-2014-669504 ULTRASUPERTAPE and EU-PoC-2020-IMPACT projects, and the Excellence Program Severo Ochoa SEV2015-0496

Keywords: coated conductors, YBCO, low cost growth method, flux pinning