Orthorhombic YBa2Cu3O7−δ Superconductor with TiO2 Nanoparticle Addition: Crystal Structure, Electric Resistivity, and AC Susceptibility

• Published in: Coatings
• Main Author: Barood F.; Kechik M.M.A.; Tee T.S.; Kien C.S.; Pah L.K.; Hong K.J.; Shaari A.H.; Baqiah H.; Karim M.K.A.; Shabdin M.K.; Mohd Shariff K.K.; Hashim A.; Suhaimi N.E.; Miryala M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI 2023
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85163800546&doi=10.3390%2fcoatings13061093&partnerID=40&md5=503b01bb10ba41fd6b61adcb58b85abb

This article reports the effect of a nanoscale addition of TiO2 on the structure and superconducting parameters of the high-temperature superconductor YBa2Cu3O7-δ (Y123). Polycrystalline compounds of Y123 with different percentages of TiO2, x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0, were fabricated using the thermal treatment method. An analysis using X-ray diffraction confirmed the formation of Y123 phases for all composite samples. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) analysis revealed the growth of grain size and decrease in porosity, with a sign of partial melting of grains for the samples with TiO2 addition. The magnetic and electric transport properties were investigated using AC susceptibility measurement and the four-probe method, respectively. It was observed that the superconducting transition temperature, Tc-onset, for a pure sample determined by ACS and 4PP was 95.6 K and 95.4 K, respectively. These values were found to decrease with the addition of TiO2, while the superconducting transition (∆Tc) improved with TiO2 addition except for the sample at x = 0.2 wt.%, which showed the broadest transition width. The sharpest superconducting transition (∆Tc) was observed for the sample at x = 1.0 wt.%, indicating that the addition of TiO2 nanoparticles is expected to serve as artificial pinning centres and strengthen the connection among the grains in the Y123 ceramic. © 2023 by the authors.