Effect of vibration frequency and sample composition on acoustic properties of Y?Ba?Cu?O high-Tc superconductors

Temperature dependences of absorption and velocity of longitudinal ultrasound in high-T_c ceramics Y Ba Cu O with different Y and Ba content at frequencies 100 kHz and 7.5 MHz are studied in the temperature range 6 to 300 K. For 100 kHz three peaks at 60, 140, and 230 K are observed in the temperature dependences of decrement. Temperature dependences of sound velocity show a broad hysteresis for thermocycling. The temperature boundaries of hysteresis and peak locations are almost independent of sample composition. Sizes of hysteresis and peak heights are very different in samples of various composition. For 7.5 MHz, a peak was found at 210 K in the temperature dependences of ultrasound absorption increment. It is shown that the acoustic anomalies are due to a structural phase transition of martensitic type. Thermoactivation parameters of the main microscopic mechanism responsible for the phase transition are estimated.     

Preparation of Al?Ga?P?As heterostructures

The present paper reports on the results of an investigation of crystallization of multilayer structures with a narrow-gap semiconductor surrounded by two wide-gap ones in the Al-Ga-P-As system on GaAs and GaP substrates. Influence of the lattice parameters' difference on the value of thermal stress in structures with a composition gradient was determined by the bend of structures separated from the substrate. It has been proved that with the P concentration in solid solutions being less than 1% heterojunctions with less tensions than in the Al–Ga–As system are available. A new method of obtaining Al_xGa_1–xP_yAs_1–y solid solutions with the concentration of P proportional to that of Al has been worked out on the basis of which multilayer heterolight-emitting structures have been prepared.     

Resistance and Current Density Studies on Plasma Sprayed Coatings of Bi(Pb)?Ca?Sr?Cu?O Superconducting Materials

Plasma spraying is a potential technique for forming flexible tapes from brittle high T_c oxides. It is possible to obtain superconducting Bi(Pb) Ca Sr Cu O coating by suitable heat treatment schedule after spraying. In an effort to get maximum transport current densities (J_c) of the coating, the content of lead and sintering time have been optimised. A J_c value of 200 Amp/cm² is obtained in Bi_1.4Pb_0.6 · Ca₂Sr_1.9Cu₃O_y specimen coated on silver sprayed Fe[(Ag)/Fe] substrate. Remarkable improvement in J_c values up to 694 Amp/cm² is obtained in the same specimen coated on Ca₂Sr_1.9Cu₃O_y sprayed Fe[Ca₂Sr_1.9Cu₃O_y)/Fe] substrate. The observed decrease in J_c(B) curves with increase in magnetic field shows the presence of weak coupling between the grains.     

Thermal Expansion and Superconductivity in Alkali Metal- and Silver-doped Bi?Sr?Ca?Cu?O System

Samples with the nominal composition Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_y with na doped at the Ca site and K doped at the Sr site are prepared by solid state reaction method. From the X-ray diffraction data it is found that all the the samples have exhibited a single phase 2212. The D.C. electrical resistivity data show that for Na-doped samples the T_c (zero) varies from 80 K to 85 K and for K-doped samples it is from 79 K to 82 K. The loss of oxygen from these samples around 400°C was confirmed by high temperature dilatometry. The variation of the thermal expansion coefficient (“α”) with temperature for different alkali dopings are discussed. Also the samples with the nominal composition Bi₄Sr₃Ca₃Cu_4−xAg_xO_y (with x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3) were studied.     

The influence of small deviations from stoichiometry on the properties of Y?Ba?Cu?O superconductor ceramics

According to a central composite design samples with deviations from stoichiometry YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x of ±2.5 wt% in the ingredients were prepared. The influence of these deviations on phase content, superconducting properties and microstructure of the ceramics was studied.     

Influence of annealing conditions on structural properties of Y?Ba?Cu oxide superconductors

The chemical composition, the topography, and the defect structure of high-temperature superconducting Y Ba Cu oxide samples have been studied in dependence on the annealing conditions by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, Rutherford backscattering, nuclear reaction analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The topography is characterized by smooth and rough grains. The chemical composition of samples varies in dependence on the annealing time and temperature. The microstructure of the superconducting material is dominated by a lamellar twin structure.     

Growth kinetics,morphology, and electrical properties of nGaAs?nGaN heterojunctions

nGaAs nGaN heterojunctions were fabricated by one-stage conversion of monocrystalline GaAs under varying conditions. Surface and cross section study, performed by means of optical and electron microscopy, indicates that the growth kinetics is essentially controlled by transfer of ammonia molecules across the already grown nitride layer; the diffusion coefficient value at 700°C being 3.1 × 10⁻¹⁰ cm² sec⁻¹. Current-voltage behaviour, describable by relations of the type I = I₀(T) exp (αV), appears to be dominated by tunneling processes.     

Stabilization of the melt composition in Ga?Al?Sb?As

In this work we present a new effect of stabilization of the Ga Al Sb As melt composition when it is in contact with the GaAs substrate. It was found that the As content in the Ga Al Sb As melt did not depend on the initial Sb concentration when the liquid phase was formed by saturating the Ga Al Sb melt from the GaAs substrate. This effect is supposed to be due to the change in phase equilibria conditions caused by large lattice mismatch between the substrate and the solid in equilibrium with the liquid.     

Effect of structure on low temperature plasticity and magnetic properties of ageing Pb?Sb alloys below Tc

It was carried out comparative structural, magnetic and mechanical studies of single crystals of Pb—Sb alloys with 0.5–5 at.% Sb, which are II type superconductors. The structure was studied by X-ray diffractometry, small-angle X-ray scattering, microhardness and resistometry methods. It was determined the total volume fraction and the precipitate size. The second critical field H_c2 and the magnetic flux trapping measured at 4.2 K are determined by the solid matrix concentration and the precipitate volume fraction respectively. Plasticity of Pb—Sb crystals was investigated by tension tests at 4.2 K. The dependence of the change of the flow stress, Δτ_sn, at superconducting transition on ageing time and antimony concentration was obtained.     

Effect of the relative content of Y,Ba, and Cu on the superconducting transition characteristics of the Y?Ba?Cu?O System

By varying the content ratio of the initial products, nine compounds of the Y Ba Cu O system have been produced. These were studied to find their T_c values, critical currents j_c at 77 K and effects of compression stress on the U(j)-curves. Mechanical loading has been found to result in a shift of the U(j)-curve towards a larger current. A correlation between the critical current value, the slope of the U(j)-curve, and the stress induced shift is shown to exist. Samples with equal absolute deviations from the stoichiometric composition reveal close properties, the better the smaller is the deviation.     

ΔE-effect in Co?Zn ferrites

A study of the dependence of the elastic behaviour of polycrystalline mixed cobalt-zinc ferrites on magnetic field (ΔE-effect) and temparature has been made using an ultrasonic method. The observed ΔE-effect in the case of cobalt zinc ferrites has been interpreted in terms of two domain processes.     

Formation and Structure of Ti?Zn-Oxides

In powder mixtures of ZnO and TiO₂ the compounds Zn₂TiO₄, ZnTiO₃ and Zn₂Ti₃O₈ can be formed as a result of solid state reactions. The mechanism of the double oxide formation is essentially determined by the microstructure of the powder mixture. Furthermore, the kind of the double oxide depends on the TiO₂-modification. There exist structural similarities between Zn₂TiO₄ (spinel) and TiO₂ (anatase) on the one hand and ZnTiO₃ and TiO₂ (rutile) on the other hand. The compound Zn₂Ti₃O₈ is formed only on the basis of the Zn₂TiO₄-phase. The crystal structure of Zn₂Ti₃O₈ was derived as a defect spinel. The unoccupied sites of cations are not arranged statistically, but they are ordered in the structure. This order leads to the decrease of the space group symmetry from Fd-3 m to P4₃32.     

Effect of Particle Size on the Ice Nucleating Ability of AgI?AgBr?CuI System

The effect of particle size on the ice nucleating behaviour of AgI-AgBr-CuI system has been studied for the first time. Six samples of different molar ratios and five sizes in each sample are considered in the present study. It is found that the nucleation temperature is the highest for particle size in the range of 60 ± 5um.     

A microstructural examination of Zn?Al?Cu alloys

A microstructural examination of a Zn-11 wt% Al-1 wt% Cu alloy in dependence on the applied heat treatment was carried out by means of scanning electron, transmission electron and optical microscopy as well as X-ray investigations.