Zero resistance above 90K in superconducting oxides ErBaCuO and YbBaCuO

Superconductivity transition has been observed by electrical resistance and a.c. magnetic susceptibility measurements in ErBaCuO and YbBaCuO systems. The highest T_c(ϱ=0) is 90.3K for ErBaCuO and 91K for YbBaCuO.     

High Tc superconductivity of a TlBaCaCuO compound

A TlBaCaCuO_4.5+x compound has been investigated from the point of view of superconductivity. Depending on the heat treatment, one part of the samples exhibits superconductivity with an onset of 121 K and a zero resistivity of 106 K, while the other part of them shows only a sharp drop in resistivity at 130 K which hints at the existence of superconducting domains. This picture was confirmed by magnetic and ESR measurements giving possibility for estimation of the critical magnetic fields.     

The superconductivity,structure and microstructure of BaYScCu oxides

We added small amount of Sc (0.05–0.35at.%) to BaYCu oxide and found that the superconductivity deteriorated drastically when the Sc content reached 0.325at.%. X-ray and electron diffraction showed that the orthorhombic perovskite structure changed to multi-phase structure with unidentified phases. The microstructures observed by TEM are of needle like morphology. Their phases are not yet identified.     

Zero resistance at 148.5K in fluorine implanted YBaCuO compound

Fluorine ions with an energy of 180keV at a dose of 1×10¹⁵ ions/cm² have been implanted into YBa₂Cu₃O_x. After annealed at 800°C, the resistance of the new Y-Ba-Cu-F-O compound drops to zero at 148.5K.     

Electron diffraction and electron microscopic study of BaYCuO superconducting materials

Electron microscopy and electron diffraction have been applied to show that the orthorhombic phase in the compound Ba₂YCu₃O_7−δ is responsible for the high superconducting transition temperature. A positive correlation is found between the volume fration of the orthorhombic phase and the superconducting transition temperature. By means of an “in-situ” heating experiment it is found that the orthorhombic phase is formed on cooling from a high temperature tetragonal phase with disordered vacancies. It is suggested that the low temperature tetragonal phase that occurs in the same specimens as the orthorhombic phase also contains an ordered arrangement of vacancies different from that present in the orthorhombic phase. The order-disorder transition associated with the structural vacancies is shown to be reversible, provided there has been no oxygen loss.     

Electrical properties of LiBSe ternary system

Amorphous products were obtained in the LiBSe ternary system by quenching melts of Li₂Se, B and Se mixture prepared at 100°C in sealed silica tubes. The vitreous region was slightly lower selenium composition than that of the Li₂SeB₂Se₃ tie-line. The amorphous products were lithium ionic conductors and most of them showed contributions to their total conductivity. The amorphous product of composition Li₂₅B₃₆Se₃₉ has the least electronic contribution to its total conductivity of 6.0 × 10⁻⁶ S/cm at room temperature. A new crystalline compound and crystalline LiBH₄ were also obtained in LiBSe ternary. Both of them were lithium ionic conductors having conductivities of about 1 × 10⁻⁶ S/cm at room temperature.     

Superconductivity of TiZrNi alloys containing quasicrystals

Superconductivity of rapidly quenched ribbons Ti₅₃Zr₂₇Ni₂₀ at 1.94 K and the beginning of the transition to the superconductivity in ribbons Ti₄₅Zr₃₈Ni₁₇ below 1.5 K were found. X-rays diffractometry measurements showed that the icosahedral quasicrystal phase is dominant in all samples.     

Superconductivity of LaMCuO system (MBa,Sr and Ca

Superconductivity of the compounds of LaMCuO system with K₂NiF₄ type structure has been studied. For the sintered compounds with MBa, Sr and Ca, the highest onset transition temperatures, T_ci, estimated from resistivity measurement are about 36.9K, 43.0K and 23.5K, respectively and the highest temperatures where the resistivity vanishes, T_cf, are about 27.8K, 34.0K and 15.5K, respectively. Almost complete Meissner effect has been confirmed by low frequency ac susceptibility measurement. Crystals of the compounds with MBa and Sr have been prepared. As the result of the preliminary experiment for a crystal with Ba, it is found that T_cf of the crystal is higher than any one of the sintered specimens with MBa, while the T_ci of the crystal is nearly the same as the highest one of the sintered specimens.     

Blue photoluminescence from SiGeSiO2 co-sputtered films

A blue photoluminescence band centered at 440 nm was observed from SiGeSiO₂ co-sputtered films at room temperature. This band gains intensity after the film was annealed at a temperature around 900°C in N₂ atmosphere. From analysis of photoluminescence excitation, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectra, it turns out that the luminescence is probably from some interfacial state between Si_1−xGe_x nanoparticles and the SiO₂ matrix.     

Lattice dynamics and debye temperature of AlCu,AlSi and AlGe alloy systems

The lattice dynamics and specific heat at constant volume for AlCu alloy system is studied using our previous treatment based on the microscopic electronic theory. Considering the volume and electron density effect on the dynamical matrix of the pure constituent, we obtain the band and local mode frequencies at the temperature-dependent specific heat in the Al_1−x Cu_x solid solution. Then, using the data about the mean elastic wave and the specific heat extrapolated to the absolute zero temperature, the Debye temperature is presented for the Al_1−xCu_x, Al_1−xSi_x and Al_1−xGe_x alloy systems. The Debye temperature decreases as a function of the Cu atomic fraction x for Al_1−xCu_x alloy, and remarkably for Al_1−xSi_x and Al_1−xGe_x solid solutions.     

Compositionally dependent superconducting transition temperature of YBaCu oxides

The superconducting transition temperatures of a family of YBaCu oxides have been explored by dc resistivity measurements. Substitutions of magnetic and non-magnetic ions on Y, Ba and Cu sites are reported. For some compositions, achieving high superconducting transition temperatures is strongly dependent on growth conditions for the material.     

Superconductivity in the LnBaCuO system (Ln = Y,Ho, Er)

Superconductivity around 90K is observed in mixed and single phase system of LnBaCuO (Ln = Y, Ho, Er). Resistivity, X-ray powder diffraction and AC susceptibility measurements were carried out on samples of the mixed phase systems Ln_2−xBa_xCuO_4−y (Ln = Ho, Er), Y_1.2Ba_0.8Cu_1+xO_4+x−y(0<x<5) and single phase system Ba₂LnCu₃O₇ (Ln = Y, Ho, Er). Ln_2−xBa_xCuO_4−y consists of Ba₂LnCu₃O₇, BaCuLn₂O₅, Cu₂Ln₂O₅ and starting materials and shows a small diamagnetic signal below T_c in the temperature dependent AC susceptibility. Y_1.2Ba_0.8Cu_1+xO_4+x−y is a mixture of Ba₂YCu₃O₇, BaCuY₂O₅ and CuO and also indicates a small diamagnetic signal at 92K. Interesting resistivity anomalies occur in the Y_1.2Ba_0.8Cu₄O_7−y and Ho_0.8Ba_1.2CuO_4−y composites including large drops in the resistivity at ∼220 and ∼120K, respectively. The pure compounds, Ba₂LnCu₃O₇ (Ln = Y, Ho, Er) show sharp resistive superconducting transitions and bulk Meissner effects of 90%.     

Study of the crystalline structure of the superconducting phase of the YBaCuO ceramic compound

We present the results of a study of the crystalline structure of the high-temperature superconducting (above 110K) phase in the single-phase ceramic compounds YBaCuO. We have concluded that the crystal symmetry of this HTS phase with chemical composition Y_1.2Ba_0.8CuO_4−δ is orthorhombic type with crystallographic lattice constants a=0.3815 nm, b=0.3457 nm, c=2.650 nm.     

A new superconducting oxide GdBaCuO with Tc (ρ=0) above 92K

A new superconducting oxide Gd_xBa_1−xCuO_3−y with T_c (ρ=0) above 92K has been successfully synthesized by the ceramic technology. The samples with composition of x=0.5, 0.625 and 0.9 are all observed with high T_c superconductivity. The highest T_c for samples measured is observed in Gd_0.5Ba_0.5CuO_3−y which has a resistive midpoint of 95K with a width of 1.5K, and a zero-resistance temperature of 92.5K. The results of a.c. magnetic susceptibility measurement are also reported.     

The origin of graduated demagnetization curves of NdFeB magnets

We present an analysis of the magnetization process of NdFeB-type magnets which exhibit a constriction or a shoulder of the demagnetization curve near the remanence point B_r. This constriction which drastically reduces the maximum energy product of the permanent magnet is discussed in terms of i) a siperposition of a soft and a hard magnetic phase, ii) an oxidation process of surface layers, iii) and the spin reorientation which changes the magnetic structure from easy c-axis to easy cone below 135 K. We demonstrate that the effect of surface oxidation and of a soft magnetic phase are of considerable influence over the entire temperature range while the influence of the spin reorientation is dominant below 150 K. The appearance of the cone structure prevents the application of NdFeB magnets in a magnetic circuit below 150 K.