Superconducting and transport properties of (Bi–Pb)–Sr–Ca–Cu–O with Cr2O3 additions

The effect of Cr2O3 additions in (Bi, Pb)–Sr–Ca–Cu–O superconductors using the conventional solid-state reaction method is reported. Cr2O3 with 0, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, and 1.0 wt.% were added to the (Bi, Pb)–Sr–Ca–Cu–O system. The critical temperature (TC) and transport critical current density (JC) were determined by the four-point probe technique. The phases in the samples were determined using the powder X-ray diffraction method. The maximum TC and JC were observed for the sample with 0.5 wt.% Cr2O3. The variation in the JC of all the samples was explained by the effective flux pinning by Cr2O3 in the samples.