Effects of Li Substitution in Bi-2223 Superconductors

The effects of Li substitution on the properties of high temperature superconductor Bi₁₇Pb_0.3Sr₂C₂Cu_3−x Li _x O _y were investigated. The samples were prepared by substituting Li (x=0.00–0.20) with changing ratios by a solid state reaction method. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, DC electrical resistivity, AC magnetic susceptibility, and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). The X-ray diffraction studies were done at room temperature and the lattice constants of the material were determined by indexing all the peaks observed. This study shows that there are two coexisting phases; high-T _c (2223) phase and low-T _c (2212) phase. The lattice structure of the material belongs to the orthorhombic unit cell. The volume fraction was estimated from the intensities of Bi-(2223) and Bi-(2212) phases. The sample with 20 wt% of added Li showed the higher volume fraction of Bi-(2223) phase formed (81%) compared to the other samples. The DC electrical resistivity of all the samples decreased as the wt% of Li increased. Both the onset critical temperatures T _c (onset) and zero electrical resistivity critical temperatures T _c (R=0) of the samples were determined from the DC electrical resistivity measurements. The observed value of the onset critical T _c (onset) temperature was 110 K agreeing well with the magnetic susceptibility measurements. We obtained T _c onset at 112 K from AC magnetic susceptibility measurements.