Enhancement of the critical current density in YBCO/Ag composites

YBa2Cu3O7+xAg (x = 0.0, 5.0, 15.0 and 20 wt%) composite samples have been prepared by the solid state reaction method. The changes in structure are confirmed from the X-ray diffraction analysis and SEM measurements. The critical current density is calculated using Bean's formula from the magnetization measurement. We find that the addition of silver in YBCO enhances the critical current density (J(C)) by a factor of nearly six (for 15% Ag) in comparison to pure YBCO. Enhancement of the pinning force (F-P) by a factor of ten is also reported. The enhancement in J(C) is investigated over a wide range of magnetic fields. These significant changes in J(C) and F-P are attributed to the presence of Ag particles as efficient artifical pinning centers in YBCO. (C) 2016 The Physical Society of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.