Effects of carbon-encapsulated nano boron addition on superconducting parameters of BSCCO

The effects of carbon-encapsulated nano boron (98% B - 2% C) (CENB) addition on superconducting and physical properties of (Bi, Pb)-2223 bulk samples prepared by conventional solid state reaction method have been investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), electrical resistivity (rho-T), micro-hardness, AC susceptibility and magnetization (M-H) measurements were performed on both a sample without CENB and samples containing 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.5% CENB by weight. The maximum Bi-2223 phase formation was achieved in 0.1wt % CENB added sample as a result of XRD analysis. The critical current density (J(c)) was determined by using an extended Bean's critical state model. We found that the J(c) increases as much as three times with decreasing of CENB additive ratio. On the other hand, CENB addition increased the hardness according to the results of mechanical measurements. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.