Role of zirconia nanoparticles on microstructure, excess conductivity and pinning mechanism of BSCCO superconductor ceramics

Using the solid-state reaction process, we prepared (Bi,Pb)(2)Sr2Ca2Cu3O10-delta (Bi-2223 for brevity) ceramics with the addition of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) nanoparticles. The proportion x of ZrO2 per the total masse of superconductor ranged from 0 wt.% to 0.2 wt.%. We report the intragrain critical current density (J(c)), pinning mechanisms, and thermal fluctuations induced excess conductivity. Employing numerous characterization techniques, combining X-rays diffraction, electrical transport measurements, scanning and transmission electron microscopes (SEM and TEM), and DC magnetization hysteresis measurements, we find that the ceramic sintered with 0.1 wt.% ZrO2 nanoparticle showed the best superconducting performance. From the analysis of excess conductivity using Aslamazov-Larkin model, we assessed the crossover temperatures between different regimes of conductivity, the penetration depth, the coherence length, as well as the upper and the lower critical magnetic fields (B-c1, B-c2) at zero kelvin for all the ceramics. Critical current density versus temperature deduced from magnetization measurement is raised by NP-ZrO2 addition. Thereby, NP-ZrO2 strengthened the role of delta l pinning cores and enhanced the flux pinning ability.

Automated summary

Using the solid-state reaction process, (Bi,Pb)(2)Sr2Ca2Cu3O10-delta (Bi-2223) ceramics were prepared with the addition of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) nanoparticles in varying proportions. Through extensive characterization techniques, it was found that the ceramic sintered with 0.1 wt.% ZrO2 nanoparticles exhibited the best superconducting performance. Analysis using the Aslamazov-Larkin model showed that the addition of NP-ZrO2 enhanced the flux pinning ability and raised the critical current density versus temperature.