PROCESSAMENTO, CARACTERIZAÇÃO E ESTUDO DOS FENÔMENOS CRÍTICOS NO SUPERCONDUTOR (Gd1 – xCex)Ba2Cu3O7- δ

Abstract

This work presents a systematic study of the effects of CeO2 addition to the superconductor system (Gd1-xCex)Ba2Cu3O7–δ, with 0,0 x 0,05, in polycrystalline form. Samples were obtained following the solid state reaction standard technique in which high purity chemical precursors (99,99%) were employed, Gd2O3, CeO2, BaCO3 and CuO. For the structural characterization of the samples, X- ray diffraction and scan electronic microscopy (SEM) were used. Physical properties characterization and critical exponent analysis were carried out from the electrical resistivity measurements at different temperatures. Results obtained, from the electrical resistivity measurements as a function of temperature revealed that CeO2 addition produces reduction of the superconductor normal transition temperature, widening the temperature interval in which the superconductor normal transition occurs, highlights the granular nature of the system making it more sensitive to the current effects and leads to a splitting of the parity transition. The analysis of fluctuations above TC presented two regimes, first a tridimensional homogeneous Gaussian regime ahead TC and, in the TC very proximal region the genuinely critical fluctuations regime, in which the exponents are interpreted as those foreseen by the universality class 3D-XY. A critical fluctuation regime with exponents λ = 0,25 λ = 0,18 and λ = 0.08, for which there is no consistent theoretical foundation, was also observed. In the paracoherent region, below TC, in the TC0 immediate surroundings, exponents found presented values correspondent to the paracoherent transition, coherent of granular order.