Rapidly quenched Bi-containing high Tc superconducting oxide compositions

Abstract

Twin roller quenching from the melt at cooling rates of ∼107 K s−1 was used on several Bi-containing high Tc compositions. Pure glass was obtained in most compositions and the route of crystallization was studied by differential thermal and thermogravimetric analysis, x-ray diffraction, and magnetic measurements. Heating of the glasses produced poorly crystallized short-range-order-only as determined by x-ray diffraction, despite passing through several exotherms, some of which were very strong. This anomalous behavior deserves further investigation. On heating to higher temperatures the expected double-copper-oxide-layer high Tc phase formed sluggishly via intermediate CuBi2O4 and/or single-copper-oxide-layer Bi2(Sr, Cu)2CuO4 phases. Considerable oxygen absorption of about 0.5 O per Cu occurs during these steps, peaking at about 680 °C; some of this oxygen is lost again by the time the high Tc phase forms just below the melting point.