THE EFFECT OF Pr SUBSTITUTIONAL DOPING IN 110 K PHASE OF (Bi-Pb)-Sr-Ca-Cu-O SUPERCONDUCTING CERAMICS

Abstract

The effect of Praseodymium (Pr) substitutional doping at varying concentration into the Strontium (Sr) site in the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O (BSCCO) high temperature superconductor was investigated in this study. The samples were prepared via solid state reaction method. Its three properties; the electrical, the magnetic, and the structural properties of BSCCO superconducting system were measured according to the stoichiometric formula (Bi_1.6Pb_0.4)-(Sr_1-xPr_x)2-Ca₂-Cu₃-O_δ where x = 0.0 – 0.5. Substitutional doping of Pr introduces impurities into the BSCCO compounds and this adds more holes as the oxidation state of Pr is 3+. In comparison for Sr, its oxidation state is 2⁺. The onset of critical temperature TCon and zero resistance critical temperature T_C(R=0) as x increases indicated the superconductivity destructive trend. Concurrently, its critical current density J_C also decreases. X-ray diffraction analysis were performed to determine the phase of the superconductor at varying concentration of doping level, to confirm that at starting composition (Bi_1.6Pb_0.4), the phases 2223 and 2212 (traces) co-exist at T_Con ≤ 110 K.