National Institute Of Materials Physics - Romania

Growth of such non-superconducting whiskers [Sr2.24Ca0.4Al2Ox, (Ca0.8-0.85Sr0.15-0.1)(2)CuO3, CuO, or Bi2.44Sr2Ca1.3-2Cu6.9-9.95Al0.35-0.46Ox (Cu-rich whiskers)] formed during the growth of Bi-2212 superconducting whiskers from powder or glassy substrates, is discussed. These whiskers are likely to grow from the bottom end, and there is a tight relationship with the growth of the Bi-2212 whiskers. A general reaction-path model for the whisker growth in the BSCCO system, independent of the type of the catalytic impurity and substrate, is proposed. When whiskers are grown under magnetic fields, up to 10 T, changes in the whisker size, aspect ratio, and morphology are observed.

LaNiSn and NdNiSn compounds and their deuterides have been studied by variable temperature Sn-119 Mossbauer spectroscopy. The hyperfine parameters obtained experimentally are in good agreement with those derived from first principle calculations. The enlargement of quadrupole splitting observed for LaNiSn after deuteration confirms the lower symmetry of electron density around tin atoms indicated by the calculation of partial Sn-p density of states (DOS). Magnetic ordering is observed at low temperature in deuterided NdNiSn.

Fe-sheathed tapes of MgB2 with addition of SiC have been prepared by the powder-in-tube (PIT) method using a powder mixture mechanically milled in an argon or hydrogen atmosphere. The reactivity of the component powders in the mixtures, Mg, B and SiC, was significantly enhanced by mechanical milling, so that MgB, formed faster than in tapes fabricated from a hand-milled mixture. At the same time the number of impurity phases was higher, and the impurity phases of Mg2Si and Fe2B were observed only in these tapes. Mechanical milling also induced a lower quality of MgB2, especially for tapes produced from powders milled in a hydrogen atmosphere, with a significant influence on the values of the critical temperature T-C and critical field, J(C). (c) 2005 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Simultaneous discharges of Fe and Cu metal sources by thermoionic vacuum arc (TVA) were used as a new procedure for preparation of granular Fe-Cu thin films with sensibly enhanced room temperature giant magnetoresistive effects. The possibilities to produce thin films with a wide range of structural and magneto-transport characteristics are emphasized. The structural aspects of granular Fe-Cu thin films deposited onto Kapton are investigated via X-ray diffractometry, atomic force microscopy and Mossbauer spectroscopy. The magneto-transport properties are strongly related to composition, structure and magnetic interactions inside the films. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The simultaneous discharge of Fe (or Co) and, respectively, CU metal sources via thermionic vacuum arc (TVA) was used as a new processing method to obtain granular magneto-resistive films. The nano-structured films with thicknesses of 120 +/- 1 nm and 250 +/- 1 nm were obtained in definite conditions and subsequently characterized via electrical measurements at room temperature, in applied magnetic field. The paper reveals the importance of different specific factors (from size and dispersion effects to annealing influence) on the magnetoresistance behavior. A special contribution of the Mossbauer Spectroscopy, concerning the local structure and interactions as well as the magnetic phase characterization, was emphasized.

Aluminophosphate glasses doped with Fe, Mn, and Cr have been obtained by a wet non-conventional method. Structural information was provided by IR absorption spectra in the range 2000-500 cm(-1). The optical behaviour (transmission and refractive index) of the samples has been studied by UV-VIS-NIR spectroscopy. The Fe valence state and the local coordination were also analysed via Fe-57 Mossbauer spectroscopy, whose data revealed the redox equilibrium in the Fe-doped glasses according to the redox potentials of the transition ions.

Exchange-coupled Fe/FeSn2(001) bilayer systems consisting of a polycrystalline ferromagnetic Fe layer grown on an epitaxial antiferromagnetic FeSn2 layer have been prepared by molecular beam epitaxy and investigated by Fe-57 conversion electron Mossbauer spectroscopy and superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry. The systems show a significant exchange bias effect at low temperatures. Tracer layers of Fe-57 (in the Fe layer) and (FeSn2)-Fe-57 (in the FeSn2 layer) have been placed in the samples in order to probe the spontaneous spin orientation at different distances from the Fe/FeSn2 interface. The Fe spins in the ferromagnetic layer are preferentially oriented in the interfacial plane. In as-prepared samples the presence of the Fe top layer induces a striking out-of-plane component of the interfacial Fe spins in the antiferromagnetic FeSn2 film. This perpendicular component decreases in magnitude at a larger distance from the interface. A reorientation transition from out-of-plane toward in-plane spin orientation was observed in the interfacial FeSn2 layer with increasing age of the sample. This effect is correlated with an increased magnitude of the exchange bias field for the aged samples.

Using the transport and magnetization measurements, the influence of neutron irradiation at a fluence of 5 x 10(17) n cm(-2) on (B0.65C0.35)Ba1.4Sr0.6Ca2Cu3Oz has been investigated. The neutron irradiation was found to decrease critical temperature and transport critical current density, increase the residual and normal state resistivity, and improve the intragranular critical current density with 1.6 x 10(5) A/cm(2) (at 77.3 K and in the applied field up to 160 kA m) and Delta M-irr/Delta M-nonirr ratio (up to factor of 3) at highest field used for investigation. The field dependence of this ratio, which is below the unity at very low field but higher than I at high fields, correlated with the shape of the hysteretic loops as well as with the change of the transport parameters after irradiation suggests the role of the irradiation-induced effects on the grain edges. We discuss these effects in the framework of the Bean-Livingstone surface barriers and geometrical barriers.

Several articles report two-layer c-axis heterostructures of Bi4Ti3O12 on BiSrCaCuO. However in some applications, or for integration purposes, multi-layer geometries composed of alternating c-axis or non c-axis thin films might be useful. From this perspective we investigated growth of c-axis and non c-axis BiSrCaCuO on Bi4Ti3O12 structures. The paper mainly focuses on evaluation of the structures from the growth, stability/interdiffusion, uniformity/morphology points of view based on structural and microstructural data.

The effect of LiF content on the 2223 phase of the high temperature superconducting system Bi1.8Pb0.4Sr1.8Ba0.2Ca2Cu3Ox/(LiF)(y) (y = 0.02 to 0.15) was investigated by means of magnetically modulated microwave absorption (MAMMA). The experimental results confirmed a two fold increase of the superconducting phase content together with a slight rise (around 2 %) of the critical temperature for y=0.07. At the same time, for y between 0.05 and 0.12 the -Delta T-c(mw)/Delta B ratio was practically constant and equal to (18.5 +/- 1.5) KT-1, a typical value for 2223 superconducting phase.