Influence of silver on critical current of the Y–Ba–Cu–O superconductor

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Abstract
Electrical properties of Y–Ba–Cu–O superconductors, such as the critical current density and the zero-resistance temperature, are systematically improved by changing the compression pressure during the formation process of the specimens. Also, by changing the silver powder content of the superconducting Y–Ba–Cu–O powder, the critical current density and the zero-resistance temperature are remarkably improved. The resistance-drop temperature is insensitive to changes in the compression pressure, silver content, and magnetic field, if the field is applied perpendicular to the specimens. The critical current density of the specimens with and without silver decreases exponentially with the perpendicular magnetic field. The critical current densities of specimens without silver showed much lower sensitivity to perpendicularly applied magnetic fields than those of the specimens having a silver content. Along with the above improvements, the present paper also examines several factors that affect the superconducting characteristics. These factors include impurities in the air and strong magnetic fields.