Sol-gel route for obtaining bismuth high T c superconducting oxide compounds

Bismuth high T_c superconducting oxide compounds were obtained by sol-gel method using acetate precursors. A study of the decomposition of quasi-amorphous acetates has been carried out to establish the conditions of superconducting phase formation. A comparison of the acetate sol-gel route with the oxalate coprecipitation method (previously used by the authors) reveals comparable results. Both methods require much shorter periods of thermal treatment for the formation of superconducting phases, as compared with the solid state reactions. The sol-gel route leads to better results from this point of view.