The Pr and Ca Substitution in GdBa2Cu3O7- & delta

The granular Gd1-x-zPrxCazBa2Cu3O7-δ high-temperature cuprate samples with 0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.3 and 0.0≤ x ≤ 0.35 are prepared by standard solid state reaction and characterized by XRD and SEM techniques. The BaCuO2 and impurity phases are less than 1% in the samples having high levels of pr and Ca concentrations. The electrical resistivity measurements show a nonlinear reduction in Tc(x,z=etc) versus x. Moreover, the Tc(z) curve with x=0 is nonlinear and aplateau appears at z≈ 0.05-0.015. For Pr-Ca-doped samples with a constant concentration of Pr, Tc increases with the increase of Ca up to an optimum value of Ca doping and then in decreases. Based on these observations, we suggest that hole filling and hole localization the main effects of Pr ion substiution. The magnetic measurements indicate that the value of Hc1 is in the order of 10 mT. The mangetoresistance measurements have been measured and analyzed. The superconducting transition region is broadened by the application of magnetic field. The experimental data near the onsen of superconductivity are fitted with the Ambegakor and Halperin (AH) phase-slip model. We observe that the AH parameter,γ (H), depends not only on the temperature and the magnetic field, but also on the Pr and Ca ions concentrations. It is observed that the critical current density increases with Ca substitution and decreases with Pr substitution in Gd-123 system. We suggest that the Pr ion substitution probably enhances the weak link, but the Ca ion acts as flux pinning center in the GdPrCa-123 system.