Influence of Pb on structural and superconducting properties of rare earth modified Bi2Sr2CaCu2Oy

Studies on structural and superconducting properties of Pb free and Pb doped rare earth (RE) modified Bi2Sr2CaCu2Oy, superconductor show that there is a substantial improvement in the superconducting properties of the Pb and RE co-doped system compared to Pb alone and RE alone doped systems. The improved superconducting properties of the co-doped system are attributed to the combined effect of Pb and RE in reducing the anisotropy, inhomogeneity and porosity and improving the electrical conductivity. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.