ACTA

Influence of Sm and Yb Pollution on Superconducting Properties of YBCO Bulk Superconductors

D. Volochová^a, K. Jurek^b, M. Radušovská^a, S. Piovarči^a, V. Antal^a, J. Kováč^a, M. Jirsa^b and P. Diko^a
^aInstitute of Experimental Physics SAS, Watsonova 47, 040 01 Košice, Slovak Republic
^bInstitute of Physics ASCR, Na Slovance 2, CZ-182 21 Prague 8, Czech Republic

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YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ (YBCO, Y-123) bulk superconductors with a nominal composition Y_1.5Ba₂Cu₃O_x and 1 wt% CeO₂ addition were prepared by the Top Seeded Melt Growth (TSMG) process. Small single-crystalline pieces, cut from the SmBa₂Cu₃O_y (Sm-123) bulk, were used for seeding of epitaxial growth. Wavelength-dispersive spectrometry (WDS) confirmed the presence of 0.1 wt% Sm from the seed and 0.25 wt% Yb from the substrate, practically in the whole sample volume. The influence of this Sm and Yb contamination on superconducting properties of grown bulk materials is reported.

DOI: 10.12693/APhysPolA.126.358
PACS numbers: 74.60.Bf, 74.72.-h, 81.40.Rs, 74.25.Ha, 74.81.Bd, 74.25.Op