Comparative study of structural and fluctuation-induced conductivity in YBa2Cu3Oy added with ZnO and Zn0.95Mn0.05O nanoparticles and nanobelts

Abstract

In this report, we present the effect of nano-ZnO and nano-Zn0.95Mn0.05O nanoparticles (NPs) and nanobelts (NBs) in polycrystalline superconducting samples of YBa2Cu3Oy (for brevity Y-123). The samples were synthesized using the solid-state reaction. Structural results analyzed via X-ray diffraction showed a similar behavior in all samples while the c parameter increased in the case of samples doped with nanobelts. Measurements of the electrical resistivity’s dependence on temperature revealed that the depression in the superconducting temperature is more pronounced in samples doped with nanoparticles compared to those doped with nanobelts. The excess conductivity in the mean-field region was analyzed using the Aslamazov–Larkin and Lawrence–Doniach models. The effective layer thickness, the zero-temperature coherence length, the wire cross-sectional area, the critical magnetic fields, and the critical current density were also calculated. The Zn0.95Mn0.05O nanobelts are more suitable for enhancing the flux pinning properties of YBa2Cu3Oy.