AC magnetic susceptibility of Cd-doped Bi1.64Pb0.36Sr2Ca2-xCdxCu3O10 superconductor synthesized by the sol-gel method

Abstract

In this study, Bi1.64Pb0.36Sr2Ca2-xCdxCu3O10 superconductors with Cd contents of x = 0.00, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, 0.06, 0.10 and 0.20, were synthesized by a sol-gel method, and the effect of Cd doping, annealing time, ac magnetic fields and frequencies on the ac magnetic susceptibility were studied. The structure and morphology of the samples have been characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The temperature dependence of the ac magnetic susceptibility of the samples was measured as a function of the ac magnetic field amplitude and frequency by an ac susceptometer. The results of the XRD indicated that the Bi-2223 phase increases in the samples, and the ac magnetic susceptibility shows that the weak links between the grains of the samples are improved. The best amount of doping was found to be x = 0.02, which improves the superconducting properties of this system.