Investigating the critical transitional temperature increase in graphene oxide doped bulk YBCO

Abstract

Y1Ba2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) was doped with thermally stable graphene oxide (TS-GO) and thermally unstable graphene oxide (TU-GO) in the following %wt. concentrations: 0.1, 0.5 and 0.7. TS-GO and TU-GO was characterized using RAMAN, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The critical transition temperature (TCmid) increased in all TU-GO and TS-GO doped samples. The highest TCmid of 101 K was that of the 0.7 %wt. TU-GO doped sample. The increase in TCmid was greater for the samples doped with TU-GO. Non-stoichiometric oxygen content (δ) was seen to increase with an increase in doping concentration of both TS-GO and TU-GO. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was carried out to determine the lattice parameters and phase characterization of the TU-GO and TS-GO doped samples. Lattice parameters show an increase in the copper oxide (CuO2) planar area with TCmid for TS-GO and TU-GO doping. To determine strain effects, the Williamson Hall method was used to determine the lattice strain (ɛ). The ɛ was seen to decrease for both TS-GO and TU-GO doped samples. The formation of magnetic manganese oxide nanoparticles in TS-GO and TU-GO doped samples was observed, and resulted from impurities found in the graphene oxide (GO) dopant material. The magnetic particles were extracted magnetically and characterized using EDX. YBCO was doped with trimanganese tetraoxide (Mn3O4) and manganese dioxide (MnO2) in a 0.1 and 0.2 %wt. concentration. The TCmid is seen to increase to 94 K and 104 K respectively for 0.1 %wt. MnO2 and Mn3O4 doped samples. The 0.2 %wt. doped Mn3O4 sample resulted in a decrease in TCmid. Magnetic susceptibility measurements confirmed a superconducting phase changes. The increase in TCmid above YBCO’s Tc = 93 K, correlates to the presence of manganese nano-impurities. This increase is hypothezied to be related to an increase in surface area of YBCO’s 2D copper oxide (CuO2) plane structure with GO doping.