Ion Beam Analysis and Electrical Resistivity Studies of (Cu0.5Tl0.5)-1223 Phase with Added Nano-oxides

Abstract

In this study, superconducting samples of type Cu0.5Tl0.5Ba2Ca2Cu3O10−δ added by SnO2 and In2O3 in nano-scale were prepared by a solid-state reaction technique. The concentrations of both SnO2 and In2O3 were 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 1.0 wt% of the sample’s total mass. The prepared samples were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for phase analysis and microstructure examination. The elemental content of the prepared samples was determined using energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE). The results of elemental content, determined from EDX and PIXE, were compared and discussed. In addition, The oxygen content of these samples was obtained using non Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) at 3 MeV proton beam. It was found that the Oxygen-content of (Cu0.5Tl0.5)-1223 phase was not affected by both SnO2 and In2O3 nano-oxides addition. The electrical resistivity of the prepared samples was measured by the conventional four-probe technique from room temperature down to the zero superconducting transition temperature (T 0). An increase in the superconducting transition temperature T c from 106 to 119 K was observed as x was varied from 0.0 to 0.6 wt% for (SnO2) x Cu0.5Tl0.5Ba2Ca2Cu3O10−δ , followed by a systematic decrease with increasing nano-SnO2 addition. On the other hand, the T c values for (In2O3) x Cu0.5Tl0.5Ba2Ca2Cu3O10−δ show a small variation with x. Moreover, the variation rate of T c with x, for both nano-additions, was found to be directly proportional to the variation of the volume fraction of the prepared samples.