Synthesis and magnetic properties of (Bi, Pb) 2Sr 2Ca 2Cu 3O 10+δ superconductor

Abstract

The sample of nominal composition Bi 1.6Pb 0.4Sr 2Ca 2Cu 3O 10+δ was prepared by the solid-state reaction method and systematically studied for their magnetic properties. The phase identification/gross structural characteristics of synthesized (HTSC) materials explored through powder X-ray diffractometer reveals that all the samples crystallize in orthorhombic structure with lattice parameters a = 5.4054 Å, b = 5.4111 Å and c = 37.0642 Å. The critical transition temperature (T c) measured by the standard four-probe method has been found to decrease from 108 K. The surface morphology investigated through scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscopy (SEM and AFM) results that voids and grains size increases of the Bi-2223 sample. The structural/microstructural characteristics (TEM) of Bi-based cuprate HTSC phase exhibit curious structural features including the occurrence of super lattice modulation along the b direction and c direction that have been observed. The presence of this streak reveals the presence of planar disorder representing faults in the stacking of CuO 2 planes. The variation of magnetization with temperature (M-T curve) of the same Bi-based HTSC materials was measured by cooling the sample in zero fields (ZFC) and an applied field of 0.05T (here after referred as FC). © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.