Effect of nano-sized Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} addition on the transport properties of YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7−δ}
The effect of nano-sized Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} (10 - 30 nm) addition on YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7−δ}(Co{sub 3}O{sub 4}){sub x} with x = 0 to 0.12 wt.% has been investigated by powder X-ray diffraction method, dc electrical resistance measurements and scanning electron microscopy. The Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} particle size was larger than the coherence length but smaller than the penetration depth of the YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7−δ} superconductor. The onset transition temperature (T{sub c} {sub onset}) showed no significant changes for low Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} addition (x ≤ 0.02 wt. %) and then decreased monotonically with the increase in Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} content indicating a pair-breaking like mechanism in T{sub c} suppression for x = 0.03 to 0.12 wt. %. A sudden broadening of the superconducting-transition-width for x ≥ 0.11 wt. % was also observed. The transport properties were measured and related to the microstructure. Scanning electron micrographs showed homogeneous distribution of Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} throughout the samples and the distance between particles was smaller than 1 μm but larger than the typical Abrikosov vortex lattice constant.