Publications

Superconducting samples of the type Y3-xNdxBa5-xCaxCu8O18-δ, with 0.00 ≤ x ≤ 0.40, were prepared by the conventional solid-state reaction technique. The phase formation percentage, lattice parameters and orthorhombic distortion were calculated using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) data. The surface morphology for these samples was examined using scanning electron microscope (SEM) measurements. All elemental-contents for Y3-xNdxBa5-xCaxCu8O18-δ phase, 0.00 ≤ x ≤ 0.10, were estimated from the particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE), and a good agreement between the real and nominal elemental-content was observed from PIXE results. In addition, the oxygen content was determined using elastic Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) technique at 3MeV proton beam. The electrical resistivity and transport critical current density, for all investigated samples, were measured by standard dc four-probe method. The superconducting transition temperature Tc and the transport critical current density Jc decreased by increasing the substitution content. These suppression may be attributed to the decrease in the Y-358 phase formation and the increase in porosity that accompanying with a weak coupling between grains as the substitution content increased, leading to decrease flux pinning and hence suppress Jc.