The Effect of Post Annealing in Reduced Oxygen Atmosphere on Critical Current Density of (Bi, Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3Oy Long Bulks

Sinter forging has been employed to improve critical current density of Bi-2223 bulks. After that, optimal post annealing is also very important to get good performance. Different annealing schedules have been used to produce Bi-2223 sinter-forged bulks in different atmospheres. In this paper, Bi-2223 long bulks were prepared by a combination of cold isostatic pressing (CIP) and sinter-forging techniques. The samples were undergone deformation rates from 50 to 90% totally. The effect of post annealing in atmosphere of 7.5% O₂/N₂ on critical current density J_c for such (Bi, Pb)₂Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O_y long bulks was investigated. Their microstructure features and phase changes were also studied.     

The Jc Limit of Multifilamentary Ag/Bi-2223 Tapes

To improve on present critical current (J _c) performance, multifilamentary Ag/Bi-2223 tapes with a large range of reduction rates were manufactured. The relative core mass density D was calculated, dependent on the measured geometric dimensions of the tapes. Experimental results, D vs. J _c, D vs. maximum pinning force density F _max , and D vs. irreversible magnetic field B _irr, are quantitatively formatted. In particular, the magnetic field dependence of J _c is critically dependent on its core density. If the core density increases by 10%, J _c of the tapes in this experiment is enhanced by as much as 100%. Therefore, in the present state of the technological process for manufacturing Ag/Bi-2223 tape, increasing the core density is clearly a significant strategy in improving the electronic and magnetic properties of the tapes and enhancing the capacity for carrying current at high magnetic fields. The limit of the bulk self-field-J _c can be calculated by the relationships of J _c vs. D. The limit is estimated to be on the order of 200 kA/cm² for multifilamentary Bi-2223 tapes, which was supported by magneto-optical (MO) magnetization measurements results. It is a hard task to approach this limit with the present state of the art in manufacturing Ag/Bi-2223 tape, and it is the time to suggest some new ideals for Bi-2223 tapes to promote large-scale applications.     

Critical Current Density Behaviors for Sinter-Forged Bi-2223 Bulks

Bi-2223 bulks were fabricated by a technique, a combination of cold-isostatic-press (CIP) and sinter-forging. Two batches of samples were prepared as presintering was conducted after (Route 1) and before CIP (Route 2). The effects of the deformation rate during sinter-forging, and presintering to critical current density J _c from exterior and interior sections were investigated. The results revealed that the critical current density of bulks fabricated by Route 1 was much higher than for bulks made by Route 2. The interior section of a sample with higher deformation rate has more contribution to J _c, whereas that with low and too high deformation rate has more equal contribution from exterior and interior sections. Field dependence of critical current density revealed that optimized sinter-forging could improve the critical current density J _c behavior in external fields, particularly in the low field region below 50 mT, for the samples where CIP was conducted before presintering. For the samples initially pressed with CIP, a higher sinter-forging deformation rate can improve the flux pinning force when the external field is parallel to the sample surface, but degrades the pinning force density when the external fields is perpendicular to the sample surface (H//c, 77 K).     

Superconducting Properties of Iodine-Intercalated Bi<Subscript>2</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>2</Subscript>Ca<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>10+<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>

The superconducting properties of iodine-intercalated high-temperature superconducting Bi₂Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O_10+x phase (Bi-2223) were systematically studied. It was found that for samples containing a significant amount of Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_8+x , iodine intercalation results in the dramatic decrease of the inter-granular critical current density, as well as a significant decrease of the critical temperature (T _c), the critical current density in the grains (J _cg), and of the amount of Bi-2223. For samples with a large amount of Bi-2223, T _c changes insignificantly, whereas J _cg can even increase. We argue that the different behavior of the superconducting parameters is the result of various oxygen concentrations, and we explain the effect of iodine intercalation based on the parabolic dependence between T _c and the number of holes per CuO₂ layer. The H(T) curves (determined from the peak position in the loss signal of ac susceptibility) for intercalated samples deviate significantly from the quasi 2D-like behavior, pointing toward an enhancement of the 3D fluctuations of vortices. For the change in the values and dimensionality of the flux pinning in the process of the intercalation, we attempted a qualitative explanation based on the models proposed in literature.     

Enhanced Electrical Transport Properties of Nano NiFe2O4-added (Bi1.6Pb0.4)Sr2Ca2Cu3O10 Superconductor

The effect of nanometer sized NiFe₂O₄ (∼15 nm) addition in Bi_1.6Pb_0.4Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O₁₀ (Bi2223) superconductor was studied. The (Bi_1.6Pb_0.4)Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O₁₀ superconductor was prepared through the co-precipitation method and 0.01 wt% to 0.05 wt% of nano NiFe₂O₄ was added. The critical temperature (T _c), critical current density (J _c), phase formation and microstructure were investigated. All samples showed a major Bi2223 phase with (Bi,Pb)₂Sr₂CaCu₂O₈ (Bi2212) as the minor phase. The sample with 0.01 wt% nano NiFe₂O₄ showed the highest T _c and J _c: of more than 3 orders of magnitude higher than the non-added sample at 77 K. A further nano NiFe₂O₄ addition (>0.01 wt%) leads to degradation of T _c and J _c. These results indicate that addition of an optimum amount of NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles can effectively enhance the transport critical current density in this system.     

Critical Current Density and Intergranular Coupling Study of the Dysprosium Oxide Nanoparticle Added Bi1.6Pb0.4Sr2Ca2Cu3O y Superconductor

The dysprosium oxide nanoparticles’ addition effects on structural, DC electrical resistivity, critical current density, and AC magnetic susceptibility properties of polycrystalline Bi_1.6Pb_0.4Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O _y samples are investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that both (Bi,Pb)-2223 and Bi-2212 phases coexist in the samples having orthorhombic crystal structure. Bi-2223 phase concentration increases with increasing dysprosium nanoparticle concentration. DC electrical resistivity, critical current density (J _c), and AC susceptibility measurements reveal that adding dysprosium nanoparticles to bismuth–strontium–calcium–copper–oxide (BSCCO) improves superconducting properties of this system and enhances its critical current density due to the improvement of the grain connectivity with dysprosium nanoparticle addition.     

The effect of Sm substitution on properties of Bi1.6Pb0.4Sr2Ca2? x Sm x Cu3O y superconductors

The effect of the partial substitution of Ca by Sm in the Bi-2223 superconducting samples have been investigated in terms of X-ray diffraction (XRD), EDXRF (Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescent), magnetoresistivity, critical temperature, transport critical current density, and ac susceptibility measurements. The samples were prepared by the conventional solid-state reaction method. XRD patterns are used to calculate lattice parameters and phase ratio of the Bi-2223 samples. The volume fraction was determined from the intensities of Bi-2223 and Bi-2212 peaks. The room temperature XRD patterns of the samples showed the presence of Bi-2223 phase decreases with increasing the Sm content. We estimated the transition temperature of the samples from the resistivity versus temperature measurements in dc magnetic fields up to 0.6 T. We observed that transition temperature, T _c , and transport critical current density, , depend on the Sm substitution. They both decrease with increasing the Sm substitution. We extracted the peak temperature, T _p , and the pinning force density from our previous ac susceptibility measurements. The pinning force density decreased with increasing the Sm content. The possible reasons for the observed decreases in critical temperature and critical current density due to Sm substitution were discussed.     

Effects of TiO2 addition on the superconducting properties of Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system

The effects of TiO₂ addition in Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O₈Ti_y (Bi-2212) with y = 0, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15 and (Bi_1.6Pb_0.4)Sr_1.6Ca₂Cu_2.8O₁₀Ti_y (Bi-2223) with y = 0, 0.10,0.20 and 0.40 are studied and compared. The samples have been investigated by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), dc electrical resistance, critical current density (J_c) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The XRD patterns of the Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O₈Ti_y materials showed the Bi-2212 as the dominant phase. In the TiO₂ added samples (with x = 0.05 and 0.1), the c lattice parameter decreased slightly from the non-added sample showing the possibility of Ti incorporating into the crystal structure of the Bi-2212 phase. In the undoped (Bi_1.6Pb_0.4)Sr_1.6Ca₂Cu_2.8O₁₀ material, the XRD pattern showed the existence of mixed phases of Bi-2223 and Bi-2212. The TiO₂ added Bi-2223 samples do not show any systematic variation in the c lattice parameter, indicating that Ti may not be incorporated into the Bi-2223 crystal structure. The T_c values in both systems decreased with the addition of TiO₂. The critical current densities, J_c at 40 K in the Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O₈ system and at 77 K in the (Bi_1.6Pb_0.4)Sr_1.6Ca₂Cu_2.8O₁₀ system also decreased with the addition of TiO₂. SEM micrographs of both systems showed a slight decrease in average grain size when TiO₂ was added.     

Phase and Texture Evolution of Ag/Ni Composite-Sheathed Bi-2223 Tapes with Different Thickness

The influence of green tape thickness on the Bi-2223 phase formation and texture evolution in Ag/Ni composite-sheathed tapes fabricated by the “powder-in-tube” technique has been studied. Microstructural observations by SEM as well as critical current density (J _c) measurements at 77 K, 0 T have been performed to analyze the performance of the tapes. The results show an important influence of the green tape thickness on the critical current depending on the content and texture of Bi-2223 phase. The J _c increases with decreasing thickness. Moreover, texture measured by omega scans shows that the texture of the Bi-2223 phase is significantly influenced by the thickness of the green tape after the first and final sintering processes. Alignment of Bi-2223 grains in the thin tapes is much better. Higher performance of Ag/Ni composite-sheathed Bi-2223 tapes can be obtained by controlling the thickness of the green tapes.     

Development of Bi-2223 HTS tape and its application to coil and current leads

We are developing Bi-2223/Ag tapes with a high engineering critical current density by optimizing the powder-in-tube process and are studying its application to coil and current leads. We have fabricated 250 m-long tape and investigated optimized processing conditions to enhance engineering critical current density. More bubbling was found when the tape was heat-treated with a higher heating rate. Different kinds of superconducting joints were fabricated with multi-filamentary Bi-2223/Ag tapes, and 58% of retained I_c was achieved using the insertion of Bi-2223 core between two exposed tapes. Current decay property of the persistent mode HTS coil was investigated. Rapid current decay was observed when the operating current is in a flux-flow range. We could successfully fabricate a low heat leak type HTS current lead with Bi-2223/Ag–Au tapes by employing a stepped geometry. Using this lead, safe operation of 2 kA current transport was confirmed.     

The Effects of Mg Substitution in Bi-2223 Superconductors

The effects of Mg substitution in Bi-2223 superconductor system has been studied for the Bi_1.7Pb_0.3Sr₂Ca₂Cu_3−x Mg _x O _y nominal composition (x=0.00, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15 and 0.20) which was prepared by the conventional solid-state reaction. The properties of these compounds have been investigated by measuring the electrical resistivity, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and density. Also, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to investigate the surface microstructure of the samples. It has been found that the effects of Mg substitution support the development of both the Bi-2212 and Bi-2223 phases. These measurements and analyses enable us to discuss the effects of Mg dopant on superconducting properties. We found that onset critical temperatures (T _c, onset) decrease with addition x>0.10 in resistivity measurements. The presence of Mg influenced the microstructure of the samples and decreased the mean grain size of Bi-2223 grains up to x=0.10.     

Breaking point of the harmony between Gd diffused Bi-2223 slabs with diffusion annealing temperature

This comprehensive study reports the role of annealing temperature on the microstructural, superconducting and mechanical characteristics of the Gd diffused Bi-2223 superconducting ceramics produced by the conventional solid-state reaction route at 840 °C for the annealing duration of 48 h. For the material characterization, the standard experimental methods such as dc resistivity (ρ-T), transport critical current density, X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and Vickers microhardness measurements are performed systematically. All the results obtained show that all the measured characteristic properties, being in charge of the applications in the industry, engineering and technology, improve until a certain diffusion annealing temperature of 800 °C beyond which they tend to degrade considerably. The increase in the properties is mostly related to the transition from the inherent overdoped state of the pure Bi-2223 material to optimum doped state with the diffusion annealing temperature, confirming the penetration of the sufficient Gd nanoparticles into the crystal structure. On the other hand, the suppression in the superconducting properties stems from the appearance of the porosity, defects, disorder and localization problem in the polycrystalline Bi-2223 superconducting matrix. This is attributed to the decrement of the average crystallite size and mobile hole concentration in the Cu–O₂ layers and especially the retrogression of the crystallinity in the system. As for the mechanical characteristics, Vickers microhardness measurements exerted in the applied indentation test load range of 0.245–2.940 N indicate that the Gd diffused bulk superconducting samples exhibit the typical indentation size effect behavior. With the enhancement in the annealing temperature up to 800 °C, the significant increase in the elastic modulus, yield strength and fracture toughness is one of the most striking points in the paper. The long and short of it is that the excess diffusion annealing temperature damages the fundamental characteristics of the Bi-2223 system.     

Preparation and properties of Tl2Ba2CaCu2O8 thin films

Anex situ process has been developed to produce thin superconducting Tl₂Ba₂CaCu₂O₈ films. The properties of films grown on different substrates using different annealing regimes were studied. Critical temperatures of 103–107 K were measured on films prepared in a broad range of annealing temperatures on SrTiO₃, LaAlO₃, and Y-ZrO₂ substrates. A critical current density,J _c, of 2×10⁶ A/cm² at 77 K was measured on LaAlO₃. Film morphology was studied by SEM, AFM, and STM.     

Pinning Energy of High-Tc (Bi, Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3Oy

The flux pinning potential energy of silver (Ag) sheathed high-T _c Bi-2223 tapes determined from measured current densities, J(T,H), is reported in this paper. Measurements of the transport current density, J, of the Ag sheathed Bi-2223 tapes were performed with an applied magnetic field directions parallel (H‖ab) and perpendicular (H‖c) to the tape’s board surface from 0 to 3 T, at temperatures from 23 to 77 K. To obtain the pinning potential energy of the Bi-2223 superconductor, an empirical scaling of J(T,H) is introduced in this study. Under the flux dynamics, the effective pinning energy, U _eff(T,H,J), can be formulated using the measured current density, J(T,H). Furthermore, the pinning potential energies, U(T,H), for both H‖ab and H‖c were quantitatively determined by the scaling of J(T,H). The two energies, U(T,H), exhibit as a function that is inversely proportional to both temperature and logarithmic magnetic field. The magnitude of U(T,H) for H‖ab is three or more times larger than that for H‖c under the considered conditions. The U(T,H) is sensitive to the temperature, but insensitive to the magnetic field. This characteristic of insensitiveness towards magnetic field is an advantage for applications on the conditions of high current density, high magnetic field, and low temperature.     

The J c Limit of Multifilamentary Ag/Bi-2223 Tapes

To improve on present critical current (J _c) performance, multifilamentary Ag/Bi-2223 tapes with a large range of reduction rates were manufactured. The relative core mass density D was calculated, dependent on the measured geometric dimensions of the tapes. Experimental results, D vs. J _c, D vs. maximum pinning force density F _max , and D vs. irreversible magnetic field B _irr, are quantitatively formatted. In particular, the magnetic field dependence of J _c is critically dependent on its core density. If the core density increases by 10%, J _c of the tapes in this experiment is enhanced by as much as 100%. Therefore, in the present state of the technological process for manufacturing Ag/Bi-2223 tape, increasing the core density is clearly a significant strategy in improving the electronic and magnetic properties of the tapes and enhancing the capacity for carrying current at high magnetic fields. The limit of the bulk self-field-J _c can be calculated by the relationships of J _c vs. D. The limit is estimated to be on the order of 200 kA/cm² for multifilamentary Bi-2223 tapes, which was supported by magneto-optical (MO) magnetization measurements results. It is a hard task to approach this limit with the present state of the art in manufacturing Ag/Bi-2223 tape, and it is the time to suggest some new ideals for Bi-2223 tapes to promote large-scale applications.     

The Effect of Mn Substitution on Properties of Bi1.6Pb0.4Sr2Ca2?x Mn x Cu3O y Superconductors

The effects of Mn substitution on the physical properties and structural characteristics of Bi_1.6Pb_0.4Sr₂Ca₂Cu_3−x Mn _x Oy (Bi-2223) superconductor system have been studied. For this, the samples of nominal composition Bi_1.6Pb_0.4Sr₂Ca₂Cu_3−x Mn _x Oy (x=0.00, 0.10, 0.15 & 0.20) was prepared by the solid-state reaction method. It has been found that the effects of Mn substitution favor the formation of Bi-2223 phases. 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=5.4918 ?, b=5.4071 ?, and c=37.0608 ?) up to Mn concentration of x=0.20. The critical transition temperature (T _c) measured by standard four probe method has been found to depress from 108 K to 70 K and transport current density (J _c) has been increased from 4.67×10² to 3.52×10³ A cm⁻² as Mn content (x) increases from 0.00 to 0.20. The surface morphology investigated through scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscopy (SEM and AFM) results that voids and grains size increases as the Mn concentration increases besides the nanosphere like structures on the surface of the Mn doped Bi-2223 sample.     

On the synthesis and structure of single-phase (Bi,Pb)2Ca2Sr2Cu3O10

We report an elegant method for the synthesis of single-phase Bi-2223 superconductor from a stoichiometric composition Bi_1.7Pb_0.3Ca₂Sr₂Cu₃O_y by a matrix reaction route. The superconducting transition temperatureT _c (R=0) of this single-phase compound is 120 K. The effect of Pb-content and sintering temperature on the formation and stability of Bi-2223 phase is described.     

Refinement of some basic features of Zr surface-layered Bi-2223 superconductor with diffusion annealing temperature

This study aims to investigate the influences of diffusion annealing temperatures on structural, morphological, electrical, and superconducting features of Zr surface-layered Bi-2223 ceramics. The present study also covers an in-depth understanding of correlations between disorders and transition temperatures. The Zr diffusion is carried out via an annealing process between 650 and 840 °C. The observed results depict that the Zr ions can easily diffuse into the deeper level of Bi-ceramics and possible Zr/Bi substitution has occurred due to the driving force of high thermal energy. Besides, it is found that the Zr diffusion improves the general crystallinity quantities of Bi-2223 ceramic up to 800 °C annealing temperature. In addition, better intergranular couplings with a smoother plate-like structure are extensively observed in surface morphology for the samples annealed at 800 °C. Significant refinements of both basic electrical resistivity, hole carrier densities, and critical temperatures with narrow transitions are also obtained for the Zr surface-layered Bi-2223 ceramics after the 800 °C annealing process. The obtained improvements in critical fundamental features can be attributed to the optimum pairing mechanism, best crystal structure quality, ideal Cu–O₂ interlayer coupling strengths, and enhanced interaction between adjacent superconductive layers. Besides, the first-order derivative of electrical resistivity versus temperature graphs indicates that the best annealing temperature enables to triggers to stabilize the superconductivity in the homogeneous regions. It can be concluded that the Zr impurity diffusion at 800 °C is promising for the improvement in the basic features of Bi-2223 superconducting systems for future applications in superconductor technology.

     

Fabrication and Properties of Ag–Ni Bimetallic Sheathed (Bi,Pb)-2223 Tapes

10-meter-long Ag?CNi bimetallic sheathed (Bi,Pb)-2223 tapes with outer nickel sheath and inner silver sheath have been successfully fabricated by the ??Powder in tube?? technique. Microstructure and phase evolution studies by means of SEM and XRD, as well as critical current density (J _c ) measurements have been performed. It is found that the nickel sheath and dwell time in the first sintering process have great influences on the texture evolution, phase transformation and J _c of the Bi-2223/Ag/Ni tapes. Mono-filament (Bi,Pb)-2223 tape with a J _c of 6656?A?cm^?2 and 61-filament tape with a J _c of 12420?A?cm^?2 are obtained. Although using composite bimetallic sheaths can reduce production costs and improve mechanical properties of the Bi-2223 tapes, the Bi-2223 content and J _c of Bi-2223/Ag/Ni tapes are relatively lower than that of traditional Bi-2223/Ag tapes. Meanwhile, due to higher Bi-2223 content and better alignment of Bi-2223 grains, tapes with 61-filament have higher J _c than mono-filament tapes.     

Effect of refractory nitride nanoadditives on the properties of (Bi,Pb)<Subscript>2</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>2</Subscript>Ca<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>10+δ</Subscript>

We have investigated the interaction between (Bi,Pb)₂Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O_10+δ (Bi-2223) and small additions (0.05–0.3 wt %) of nitride powders (TaN, AlN, HfN, NbN, Si₃N₄, TiN, and ZrN) with a particle size from 0.02 to above 0.5 μm and the effect of these nitrides on the microstructure, phase composition, distribution, and morphology of the resulting second-phase inclusions. The concentration and particle size of the nitrides and sintering conditions are shown to influence the superconducting transition temperature T _c, critical current density j _c, irreversible remanent magnetization, bulk density, and mechanical properties of the Bi-2223/nitride composites.