Abstract
Sm1+xBa2−xCu3Oz (SmBCOss) singlecrystals with Tc = 95 K and a sharp transition were grown by top-seeded solution growth in 1 atm oxygenpressure. Compositional analysis by the inductively coupled plasma (ICP) technique andTc measurement with a superconducting quantum interference device(SQUID) indicate that a nearly stoichiometric SmBCO phase with a highTc value can be reached in a rather wide range of liquid compositions and oxygenpartial pressures. Specific features of the SmBCO system phase diagram wereelucidated that explain why the SmBCO single crystals grow more easily thanYBa2Cu3Oz (YBCO)or Nd1+xBa2−xCu3Oz (NdBCO) ones. The surface morphology of nanostripes was investigated by atomic forcemicroscopy (AFM). The nanostripes were thought to act as an effective pinning medium, dueto the comparable scale with the vortex core. Furthermore, two SmBCO samples with typicalTc values were analysed by energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and the compositionfluctuations along their stripes were studied.
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