Melt-processed RE-Ba-Cu-O (RE=Sm, Nd) superconductors for quasi-permanent magnets

The microstructures of melt-processed Nd-BCO/Ag samples were investigated. A rather homogeneous distribution of Nd422 particles was found, which can be attributed to the fast growing speed of NdBCO and the large size of Nd422 particles. The dispersion of Ag depended on the content of Ag/sub 2/O, and the phase relation of the Nd-BCO/Ag system is discussed. We also studied the pulsed field magnetization technique, and found that the amount of magnetic fluxes trapped by SmBCO significantly increased by sandwiching the sample with ferromagnetic yokes and repeatedly applying magnetic pulses with decreasing amplitude.