Impact of Irradiation on the Crystallization and Electrical Properties of Bismuth-Based Superconductors at High Temperatures

Abstract

The superconducting compound Bi2(x+y) AgxCdyBa2 Ca2 Cu3 O10+δ was studied using the solid-state reaction method at an annealing temperature of 850°C and under a pressure of 8 tons/cm² applied by a hydraulic press in the presence of sufficient oxygen. These conditions are considered ideal based on previous research for preparing high-performance electric superconductors with different compensation ratios (x, y). It was found that compensation at x = 0.3 and 0.4 led to a decrease in the critical temperature (Tc) to 136 K and 134 K, respectively, due to a reduction in the length of the c-axis, which negatively affected Tc. An increase in the compensation ratio y = 0.4 also resulted in a decrease in Tc to 140 K, accompanied by changes in the crystal structure of the compound. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies showed an increase in the c-axis length to 36.525 Å at x = 0.3 with a = b = 5.358 Å, and similarly, an increase in the c-axis length to 37.215 Å at y = 0.3 with a = b = 5.314 Å.