Effects of RE2O3 (REÂ =Â Tm, Sc, Yb) addition on the superconducting properties of ErBa2Cu3Oy

We investigated the effects of added Tm2O3, Sc2O3, and Yb2O3 on the superconducting properties of sintered Er123 samples. Tm2O3 addition caused the least Tc degradation, exhibiting a Tc above 90 K even for 17 vol% addition. Samples with added Sc2O3 maintained a Tc at above 90 K up to an addition of 7.2 vol%, while Yb2O3-containing samples showed a monotonic decrease in Tc with increased vol% of added Yb2O3. Tm2O3-containing samples exhibited a slight increase in Jc(0.1 T)/Jc(0) and had constant Jc values even for 17 vol% addition. XRD and SEM results indicate that the Tm2O3 is very stable in the superconducting matrix.