The structural, magnetic, and pinning features of Bi-2223 superconductors: Effects of SiC nanoparticles addition

In this research, the influence of Silicon Carbide nanoparticles (SiC-NPs) addition on the microstructure, superconducting, and pinning properties of (Bi, Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+theta (Bi-2223) superconductors is comprehen-sively studied. The superconductors are synthesized by the sol-gel method and SiC-NPs are added up to 0.8 wt%. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) measurements are carried out for struc-tural and morphological investigations. The superconductivity parameters such as intra-granular critical current density (JC, intra), inter-granular current critical density (JC, inter), transport critical current density (JC, t), and pinning force density (FP) are detected through DC-and AC-susceptibility, hysteresis loop, and transport mea-surements. The obtained results show that the 0.4 wt% addition of SiC-NPs improves the microstructure and the connectivity of grains as well as JC, inter, JC, intra, JC, t, and FP in the Bi-2223 superconductor. This research opens notable avenues for the use of synthesized Bi-2223 ceramics for electrical and industrial applications such as high-current energy storage, wires, and tapes.

Automated summary

This research comprehensively studies the influence of Silicon Carbide nanoparticles (SiC-NPs) on the microstructure, superconducting, and pinning properties of Bi-2223 superconductors. The results show that the addition of SiC-NPs improves the microstructure and connectivity of grains, as well as the superconductivity parameters, opening up new avenues for high-current energy storage and electrical industrial applications.