Thermal conductivity of REBCO tapes with different stabilizers at 4.2 – 200 K

Abstract In REBCO current leads, it is important to minimize the thermal conduction while maintain stable electrical conduction. Therefore, thermal transport property of REBCO tapes need to be characterized. We measured thermal conductivity of REBCO tapes in the longitudinal direction at 4.2 - 200 K. Samples with Ag, Ag-3at%Au and Cu stabilizers of various thicknesses were measured. The residual-resistance-ratio (RRR) of these stabilizers were also measured and correlated with thermal conductivity. For samples with 10 µm or thicker Cu stabilizer (50 µm substrate), thermal conductivity is dominated by the Cu contribution. The sample with Ag-3at%Au stabilizer has significantly lower thermal conductivity than that with Ag stabilizer. It is concluded that REBCO with Ag-3at%Au stabilizer is promising for current lead applications.