Modification of several physicochemical properties of a high-temperature superconducting yttrium ceramic upon doping with gold

The influence of additions of gold (5 and 10 at. %) on the lattice parameters, the superconducting transition temperature, and the diamagnetic susceptibility of the high-temperature superconducting ceramic YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ is investigated. The influence of gold on the kinetics of the release of weakly bound oxygen during heating of the ceramic in a vacuum is also studied. It is shown that doping the ceramic with gold causes uniaxial expansion of the lattice of the material, a significant decrease in the diamagnetic susceptibility, and nonmonotonic variation of the kinetic parameters of the oxygen release, while the superconducting transition temperature remains nearly unchanged. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 31–34 (February 1997)