Effect of Eu2O3 Nanoparticles Addition on Structural and Superconducting Properties of BSCCO

چکیده مقاله

To study the effects of Eu₂O₃ nanoparticles addition to BSCCO superconducting system, four bulk polycrystalline samples with general formula of Bi_1.6Pb_0.4Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O _y +xEu₂O₃ (where x=0.0, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0 wt%) were prepared by chemical sol–gel method. X-ray diffraction, SEM, and TEM were used for structural characterization of the samples. DC electrical resistivity, critical current, and AC magnetic susceptibility were measured. XRD analysis showed that both (Bi,Pb)-2223 and Bi-2212 phases coexist in the samples having orthorhombic crystal structure. DC electrical resistivity, J _c , and AC magnetic susceptibility measurements reveal that adding Eu nanoparticles to BSCCO improves superconducting properties of this system and enhances its critical current density. The enhancement of the J _c may be caused by improvement of the grain connectivity with Eu nanoparticle additions.