Preparation of melt-textured NdBa2Cu3Oy bulk with Nd4Ba2Cu2O10 addition

The NdBa₂Cu₃O_y (Nd123) bulk superconductor, to which Nd₄Ba₂Cu₂O₁₀ (Nd422) particles were intentionally added, was prepared through the so-called MMTG process in Ar (99% purity) flowing atmosphere at an ambient pressure. The quasi-single crystal thus grown was about 1 cm × 1 cm × 1 cm in dimension. It turned out that the Nd422 particles were uniformly distributed in the Nd123-phase matrix in a fashion similar to the distribution of the intentionally added Y211 particles in the Y123 phase matrix. The superconducting transition temperature T_c for the sample subjected to post-annealing in oxygen atmosphere was 94 K. The critical current density J_c was determined to be 45 000 A/cm² at 77 K and 1 T, when the field was applied parallel to the c-axis of the sample. To the best of our knowledge, the J_c value is the highest and the size of the quasi-single crystal is the largest in the melt-textured Nd123 bulk superconductors so far reported.     

Low temperature magnetocaloric effects in Dy1Ba2Cu3O7−δ and Y1Ba2Cu3O7−δ high-Tc single crystals

The heat release has been measured in high temperature superconductors during and after a change of the external magnetic field μ₀H_a ≤ 0.5 T applied parallel to the c-axis at 0.1 K ≤ T ≤ 0.45 K. Two Y123 and one Dy123 twinned single crystals were investigated. An analysis of the heat release based on the Bean model and on a model for thin superconductors in perpendicular geometry recently proposed by Brandt et al. has been carried out. During field sweep we measured ∝ H_a²dH_a/dt. This dependence can be understood within the Bean model for longitudinal geometry. The critical current densities obtained with this method are in good agreement with those from magnetization measurements. We also present measurements, and a first quantitative analysis, of dissipation due to the time relaxation of the flux line lattice after a field sweep. For the heat release a t⁻¹ dependence has been found which corresponds to a logarithmic time dependence of the magnetization. The normalized relaxation rate we obtained is in agreement with literature values.     

研磨对Y-123和Bi(Pb)-2223超导相的影响

通过X射线衍射、差热分析、电子显微镜、超导电性测量等手段研究了研磨对Y-123和Bi(Ph)-2223超导相和成相过程的影响。结果表明:研磨对Y-123和Bi(Ph)-2223超导相的影响显著不同,研磨导制了Bi(Ph)-2223超导相的破坏。同时指出Bi(Ph)-2223超导相同一结构特征的两种属性:好的可塑性和结构易破坏性。前者是优点,后者是缺点。在加工、测量、使用过程中,要尽力避免后一缺点带来的超导电性的破坏或由于局部结构破坏而导致的整体性能的降低。     

Experimental survey of critical fluctuations in the specific heat of high-temperature superconductors

Thermal fluctuations are observed in the specific heat of high-temperature superconductors (HTS) near T_c. This is seen both in the shape of the zero-field anomaly, characterized by critical exponents and amplitude ratios, and in the broadening of the transition versus the magnetic field, which obeys scaling laws. 3D-XY fluctuations are found for YBa₂Cu₃O_x (Y-123) near optimal doping, whereas systematic deviations occur away from this point. The large deviations found for the most anisotropic HTS may be attributed to both reduced dimensionality and a crossover between BCS and Bose condensations. Low-temperature data are discussed in this context. The melting curve of vortex matter, now detected in the specific heat of Dy-123, Eu-123 and Y-123 up to very high fields, is described by a critical exponent.     

Temperature dependence of the exafs spectrum in YBa2Cu3O7−δ compounds

The temperature dependence of the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) is studied in the high T_c superconductors, YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ. The measurements were done at the Cu K-edge for samples of two orthorhombic phases (T_c≈90 K and ≈58 K, respectively) and a nonsuperconducting tetragonal phase. Interatomic distances and mean square relative displacements σ² for Cu-O bonds are determined by the least squares refinement. The results indicate that values of σ² increase near T_c for both the orthorhombic samples. It is concluded that this anomalous behavior related to T_c is caused by an anomalous vibration of oxygen atoms in the Ba-O layer. Changes in the Cu-O distances from 300 to 20 K are not found.     

A new layered cuprate superconductor: GaSr2(Y, Ce)2Cu2O9−δ

A new layered cuprate compound with a nominal composition of GaSr₂Y_2−xCe_xCu₂O_9−δ has been prepared. It crystallizes in a tetragonal lattice with cell parameters: a = 3.812 Å, c = 28.16 Å. The structure of the compound belongs to the same family of 1222 phase and is derived from that of GaSr₂LnCu₂O₇ by replacing the single Ln³⁺ layer with a double fluorite (Y, Ce)₂O₂ layer. Like other parent cuprate compounds of superconductors, the as-prepared samples showed antiferromagnetic and semiconducting behavior. After treatment under high oxygen pressure, the samples exhibited bulk superconductivity with transition temperatures between 12–14 K.     

Magnetic behavior of 3d dopants in superconducting REBa2Cu3−xFexO7+δ (RE=Dy, Er)

Mössbauer studies on ⁵⁷Fe-doped superconducting REBa₂Cu₃O_7+δ (RE=Er, Dy) were made as a function of temperature for x=0.15 and 0.30. The magnetic behavior of the 3d dopants, which mainly occupy Cu(1) sites, undergoes antiferromagnetic ordering which is coexistent with superconductivity at low temperature. The dimensionality of the magnetic interaction changes from 2D to 3D when the rare earth changes from Er to Dy. the line-widths of the Mössbauer subspectra are characteristic of magnetic fluctuation behavior in the vicinity of a phase transition. Combining these results with those of Fe-doped Y-123 (pseudo 1D) and Gd (3D), the magnitude of the rare earth moments appears to be strongly correlated with the dimensionality of the magnetic interaction of Fe dopants in these compounds. However, the Mössbauer spectrum for ¹⁵⁵Gd in GdBa₂Cu_2.85Fe_0.15O_7+δ (T_{N(Fe) 14 K}) shows no magnetic order at 4.9 K.     

Photo-operated two-photon absorption effects in the GeSe2–Ga2S3–PbI2 glasses

The possibility to operate the two-photon absorption (TPA) of newly synthesized GeSe₂–Ga₂S₃–PbI₂ glasses using the CO laser beam (λ=5.5 μm) as a photoinducing one has been demonstrated. As the fundamental laser beam we have used the illumination of 10.6 μm passively modulated 0.5 ns CO₂ laser with a rate repetition of about 10 Hz. We have established that the maximal photoinduced TPA is observed for the 8% doped samples (up to 14 cm/GW), which is achieved at a pump CO laser pump power density equal to about 0.6 GW/cm². The undoped PbI₂ samples show the TPA maximum at a pump power density of about 0.2 cm/GW. The minimal TPA values were observed for the samples with 5% of PbI₂. The obtained results show that these materials can be used as effective optically operated optical limiters.     

Ba1-xKxFe2As2单晶(Tc=38.5K)磁通钉扎力与钉扎机理研究

铁基超导体是在2008年由Hosono发现的一种新型超导材料, 由于其具有上临界场高、各向异性小、临界电流密度大等优点, 在世界范围内引起了广泛关注. 以Ba_1-xK_xFe₂As₂为代表的FeAs-122系超导体具有结构简单、合成温度低、单晶容易制备等优点, 是物理学家和材料学家关注的焦点. 本工作在获得最优化掺杂的Ba_1-xK_xFe₂As₂单晶(T_c = 38.5 K)基础上, 通过分析其在不同磁场条件下电阻温度变化关系、不同温度条件下的磁滞回线等数据, 系统的研究了Ba_1-xK_xFe₂As₂单晶磁通钉扎力和磁通钉扎机理. 研究发现Ba_1-xK_xFe₂As₂超导体具有非常高的磁通钉扎势, 其中9 T的外场条件下, 其在H//c轴和H//ab面的钉扎势分别为5800 K和8100 K, 展示出良好的应用前景; 通过进一步分析发现, 其磁通钉扎机理应是由于晶格内部的小尺寸缺陷引起的电子平均自由程变化而导致的δl钉扎.     

Magnetic and electromagnetic properties of RuZn and RuCo substituted BaFe12O19

Polycrystalline samples of M-type hexaferrites BaFe_12−2xRu_xZn_xO₁₉ and BaFe_12−2xRu_xCo_xO₁₉ with 0x0.45 have been prepared by a classical sintering method. The evolutions with x of the cell parameters, the saturation magnetization and the magnetic transition temperature have been measured; in this range of small doping ratios, saturation magnetization and Curie temperature of substituted hexaferrites remain close to those of the undoped BaFe₁₂O₁₉. X-ray diffraction measurements on oriented powders show that a change of magnetocrystalline anisotropy from axial to planar occurs in both cases for a small substituting ratio x_c=0.375. Microwave electromagnetic characteristics have been studied on the ceramic samples from 0.1 to 10 GHz. The behaviour of the magnetic losses (μ″) corroborates the anisotropy change when doping; a convolution of the dissipation mechanisms (domain wall motions and gyromagnetism) is obtained for x_c. The level of the magnetic losses is discussed in relation with others substituted Ba-hexaferrites.     

Positron annihilation in the hydrogenated granular superconductor of YBa2Cu3O7−δ

In this paper, we have used the sputtering neutral-particles mass spectroscopy (SNMS) and positron-annihilation technique to investigate the effect of hydrogenation on the physical properties of different oxygenated YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ superconductors. Under the same of hydrogenation treatment, the hydrogenation effects on the superconductors are compared to the non-superconductors. It was shown that the hydrogen concentration in the superconductors is about eight times of the non-superconductor's. It was proven that the long lifetime of positrons in the annihilation process is determined by the variation of the concentrations of monovacancies and microvoids, which takes place in both of intragrain and intergrain samples. The hydrogenation effect can be classified into four stages. At the first stage, the hydrogen atoms fill both monovacancy and microvoid. At the end of the first stage, the long lifetime τ₂ reaches the maximum value which is determined by the lifetime of the positron in the monovacancy-free and nearly microvoid-exhausted YBCO sample. In the second stage, the hydrogen charging will lead to creation of new monovacancies; this will make the long lifetime τ₂ drop monotonically to its minimum value. In the third stage, further hydrogen charging promotes the formation of microvoids, and leads to an increasing τ₂ up to a saturation value, which indicates the equilibrium concentrations of monovacancy and microvoid at that temperature.     

Low-field vortex dynamics in various high-T c thin films

We present a novel ac susceptibility technique for the study of vortex creep in superconducting thin films. With this technique we study the dynamics of dilute vortices in c-axis oriented Y-123, Hg-1212, and Tl-1212 thin films, as well as a axis oriented Hg-1212 thin films. Results on the Hg-1212 and Tl-1212 thin films indicate that dislocation-mediated plastic flux creep of single vortices dominates at low temperatures and fields. As the temperature (or the field) is increased, the increasing vortex-vortex interactions promote a collective behavior, which can be characterized by elastic creep with a non-zero μ exponent. Also, in some of these samples effects of thermally assisted quantum creep are visible up to 45 K in some of these samples. In Y-123 thin films, creep is found to be collective down to the lowest temperatures and fields investigated, while the quantum creep persists only up to 10–11 K.     

Study of the magnetic properties of single-crystal Ba0.6K0.4BiO3

The magnetic properties of single-crystal Ba_0.6K_0.4BiO₃ were studied. The results show that this isotropic superconductor (cubic structure with T_c ≈ 32 K) exhibits irreversibility and relaxation properties similar to those observed in the layered, high temperature superconductors. For fields above 0.1 T, an irreversibility line B_irr = B_irr (0) (1 − t)ⁿ with n = 3/2 and B_irr (0) = 20 T is observed. The comparison among several superconducting systems with different anisotropies suggests that the irreversibility line is unlikely to be the melting line for the YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ.     

准一维Cr基超导体RbCr3As3的超导能隙

RbCr₃As₃是具有[（Cr₃As₃）^-]_∞线性链的准一维超导体,超导转变温度约为6.6 K.对RbCr₃As₃单晶进行了电输运和极低温热输运性质的研究.低温下,拟合了RbCr₃As₃正常态电阻率随温度的变化,发现其满足费米液体行为.通过拟合超导转变温度随磁场的关系,得到RbCr₃As₃单晶的上临界场约为25.6 T.对RbCr₃As₃进行了零场下的极低温热导率测量,得到其剩余线性项为7.5 μW·K^-2·cm^-1,占正常态热导率值的24%.测量不同磁场下RbCr₃As₃的热导率,发现与单带s波超导体相比较,RbCr₃As₃剩余线性项随磁场增加相对较快.这些结果表明RbCr₃As₃单晶很可能是有节点的非常规超导体.     

The effect of rare earth substitution on the magnetic properties of Ni0.5Zn0.5MxFe2−xO4 (M: rare earth)

Variation of the complex permeability with frequency of Ni_1−xZn_xFe₂O₄ (x=0.5, 0.6 and 0.7) prepared by a combustion method has been measured over a wide range of frequency, up to 1.8 GHz. Zn content improves permeability but moves the onset of resonance to lower frequencies.

The influence on some properties of samples prepared by the insertion of small amounts of Ruthenium, Yttrium and rare-earth cations into the Ni_0.5Zn_0.5M_xFe_2−xO₄ ferrite has been also investigated. Relative losses and Curie temperature of all the samples have been measured. Ferrites substituted with Ru and Gd improve microwave behavior compared to non-substituted samples.     

The degradation process in Tl2Ba2Ca1Cu2O10+x

Degradation processes in 2212 thallium-based superconductors have been investigated using X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy techniques. It has been shown that the formation of amorphous or microcrystalline material by decomposition of the superconducting phase is followed by the crystallization of BaCo₃ and other oxide compounds. The influence of preexisting BaCO₃ on the rate of this degradation process has also been studied, and the results indicate that the removal of this stable precursor compound is an important step in improving the long term stability of the 2212 phase.     

Formation of Ca-doped YBa2Cu4O8 phase in thin films

Ca-doped YBa₂Cu₄O₈ (124) thin films are prepared on (100) SrTiO₃ substrates by annealing the amorphous films deposited using a pulsed laser deposition technique. The X-ray diffraction measurements show that the Ca-doped YBa₂Cu₄O₈ phase is formed by annealing below 800°C at a oxygen pressure of 1 atm. The 124 films have c-axis orientation normal to the substrates. As the Ca content increases, the proportion of the 123 impurity phase in the samples increases. The onset temperature of superconductivity of the Y(Ca)Ba₂Cu₄O₈ films increases from 79 K to 88 K with an increase Ca-substitution for 5 to 10% of Y.     

THERMOELECTRIC POWER OF A LOCAL PAIR MODEL AND ITS APPLICABILITY TO YBa2Cu3O7

A formula of thermoelectric power (TEP) for the local pair model has been derived. It has been found that from T_c to about 125K the TEP data of YBa₂Cu₃O₇ (Y-123) can be described by this formula. We have also found that the formula of the diffusion thermoelec-tricity in the free electron approximation can be used to express the TEP data of Y-123 in the region of 220 to about 300 K. It seems that a general transition occurs in the intermediate temperature region, that is from the regime in which the local pair subsystem is dominating to the regime in which the itinerant carrier subsystem is dominating.     

Silver intercalation in PbS1.18(TiS2)n, n=1, 2, misfit layer compounds

The reaction between metallic Ag and PbS_1.18(TiS₂)_n, n=1, 2, misfit layer compounds has been investigated by electrochemical technique, X-ray powder analysis and transmission electron microscopy. It was found that silver intercalation is possible only in the compound with n=2. The thermodynamic behavior and location of phase boundaries were studied in the temperature range 400–650 K. DC-conductivity and magnetic-susceptibility measurements were performed, and the data can be interpreted as an appearance of small polarons during silver insertion.     

Thermoelectric power and thermal conductivity study of the Y3Ba5Cu8Ox system

In the present study, the effect of heat treatment conditions on the structural/microstructural, electrical and transport properties, such as thermoelectric power and thermal conductivity, of the Y-358 system was investigated. The Y-123 phase instead of Y-358 were obtained with heat treatments. XRD and SEM analyses showed that the best structural formation was obtained for the sample prepared at 900 °C for 24 h. All the samples exhibited the T_c value around 91 K. Positive S(T) value was obtained in all the samples. S(T) data was analyzed by “Two band model with linear T-term”. In thermal conductivity of the samples, small peak with broad maximum was found just below T_c, unlike that of the HT_c cuprates.