Improvement of Superconducting Parameters of Bi1.8Pb0.4Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+δ Added with Nano-Ag

Bi1.8Pb0.4Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+delta superconductor samples were synthesized by the conventional solid-state reaction technique. Nano-Ag was introduced by small weight percentages (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 1, and 1.5 weight %) in the final step of the synthesis process. Phase formation and microstructure were investigated using x-ray powder diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy. The real elemental-content and oxygen-content were examined using particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and Rutherford backscattering (RBS) techniques, respectively. Electrical resistivity as function of the temperature was carried to evaluate the relative performance of samples. Moreover, Electric field-Current density (E-J) characteristic curves were measured at 77 K. The electrical and granular properties were greatly enhanced, indicating more efficient pinning mechanisms. An improvement of the critical current density of 229 % was obtained with x=0.6 wt.%, while the superconducting transition temperature is improved by 2.5 %.