Effect of triethanolamine on the pyrolysis of metal-propionate-based solutions

Abstract

The effect of triethanolamine (TEA) on single-salt propionate-based solutions used to prepare YBa2Cu3O7-∂ (YBCO) has been studied through thermal analysis, for film and powder samples. Decomposition has been followed by thermogravimetry (TG) coupled to differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and evolved gas analysis (EGA-MS and TG-FTIR), while chemical characterization has been carried out by FTIR, XRD and EA. The addition of TEA has little effect on the decomposition of the barium salt. Conversely, the thermal behavior of the copper and yttrium propionate salt with TEA becomes more gradual and less affected by a change of atmosphere than the TEA-free case. This is explained by the fact that the decomposition mechanism is driven by the formation of an ester between the propionate groups and the TEA’s OH groups, which is promoted by inert atmospheres and temperatures above 200 °C. Just like the single salt precursors, the films of the barium and yttrium salts show residual organic material at 500 °C in thick films decomposed in O2.