Epitaxial oxidation of Ni–V biaxially textured tapes

The epitaxial oxidation of the (0 0 1)[1 0 0] textured Ni 100− x V x tapes was studied because of the practical interest of NiO as a first buffer layer for the YBCO based coated conductors. The study revealed that the oxidation of the Ni–V alloy is rather complex, the less noble V being internally oxidized, while Ni undergoes an external oxidation. Moreover, the formation of the NiVO 3 and of Ni 7V 5O 17 compounds have negative effects on the epitaxial oxidation and on the surface morphology, as well. The role of vanadium on the epitaxial oxidation of Ni–V alloy has not been fully understood yet. The optimum conditions for the epitaxial oxidation have been found to be: 700