Enhanced superconducting performance of melt quenched Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 (Bi-2212) superconductor

We scrutinize the enhanced superconducting performance of melt quench Bismuth based Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 (Bi-2212) superconductor. The superconducting properties of melt quenched Bi-2212 (Bi2212-MQ) sample are compared with non-melted Bi2212-NM and Bi1.4Pb0.6Sr2Ca2Cu3O10 (Bi-2223). Crystal structure and morphology of the samples are studied using X-ray diffraction and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) techniques. The high field (14 T) magneto-transport and DC/AC magnetic susceptibility techniques are extensively used to study the superconducting properties of the investigated samples. The superconducting critical temperature (T-c) and upper critical field (H-c2) as well as thermally activated flux flow (TAFF) activation energy are estimated from the magneto-resistive [R(T)H] measurements. Both DC magnetization and amplitude dependent AC susceptibility measurements are used to determine the field and temperature dependence of critical current density (J(c)) for studied samples. On the other hand, the frequency dependent AC susceptibility is used for estimating flux creep activation energy. It is found that melt quenching significantly enhances the superconducting properties of granular Bi-2212 superconductor. The results are interpreted in terms of better alignment and inter-connectivity of the grains along with reduction of grain boundaries for Bi2212-MQ sample. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.