Effects of Bi and Bi2O3 additions on the microstructure and superconducting properties of powder-in-tube BSCCO (2212) tapes

摘要

The microstructural development and superconducting properties of Bi(sub 2)Sr(sub 2)CaCu(sub 2)O(sub x) (Bi-2212) Agclad powder-in-tube tapes with 2 vol% bismuth (Bi) added from either Bi (s) or Bi(sub 2)O(sub 3) powders were investigated. Such additives reduce the peritectic decomposition temperature of pure Bi-2212 by approximately 15-20(approximately)C. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy on polished top and cross-sections revealed that the volume fraction of Bi-free phases was lower in the Bi-added specimens relative to those based on pure Bi-2212. In addition, it appeared that the Bi-added samples had improved grain alignment, which was confirmed by x-ray diffraction analysis. Magnetic hysteresis (at 5 K between (+-) 5.5 T) and transport measurements (at 4.2 K) were performed on each specimen. These results showed that Bi-additions yielded superior magnetization critical currents, which is attributed to improved grain alignment and reduced secondary phases.