Effect of Pb doping on the electrical properties of textured Bi-2212 superconducting ceramics

Abstract

The Pb addition effect on the E-I curves obtained in superconducting Bi-2212 textured ceramics has been studied on Bi2-xPbxSr2CaCu2Oy, (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6) materials. They were textured using a laser floating zone melting (LFZ) device with a growth rate of 30 mm/h. The resulting textured cylindrical bars were annealed to develop the Bi-2212 superconducting phase. On these samples, Tc has been determined by electrical resistivity measurements between 77 K and room temperature. Transport Jc values have been calculated from the I-V curves measured at 77K. The microstructure has also been determined and correlated with the measured electrical properties. The influence of Pb doping on the sharpness of the superconducting to normal transition on the E-I curves has been determined, obtaining the sharpest transitions for samples doped with 0.4 Pb.