Effect of Sintering Temperature on the Phase Formation and Superconducting Properties of Bi1.6Pb0.4Sr2Ca2Cu3O10 Ceramics Synthesised via Co-Precipitation

Nurhidayah Mohd Hapipi (Universiti Putra Malaysia)
Soo Kien Chen (Universiti Putra Malaysia)
Mohd Mustafa Awang Kechik (Universiti Putra Malaysia)
Kean Pah Lim (Universiti Putra Malaysia)
Abdul Halim Shaari (Universiti Putra Malaysia)
Nor Atikah Baharuddin (Universiti Putra Malaysia)
Nurul Auni Khalid (Universiti Putra Malaysia)
Muhammad Kashfi Shabdin (Universiti Putra Malaysia)
Kar Ban Tan (Universiti Putra Malaysia)
Oon Jew Lee (Universiti Malaysia Terengganu)

Journal of Material Science and Radiation
Vol. 1 No. 2 (2025): August

In this work, (Bi, Pb)-2223 superconducting ceramics with the nominal composition Bi1.6Pb0.4Sr2Ca2Cu3O10 were synthesised via the co-precipitation method and sintered at temperatures of 845 °C, 850 °C, and 855 °C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the dominance of Bi1.6Pb0.4Sr2Ca2Cu3O10 phase with minor traces of secondary phases, Ca2PbO4 (dicalcium lead (IV) oxide). An increase in sintering temperature led to a larger average grain size and reduced intergranular voids. Electrical resistivity measurements using the four-point probe method revealed the highest superconducting transition temperature (Tc onset = 104 K) for samples sintered at 845 °C. Higher sintering temperatures reduced the value of Tc onset and resulted in a wider transition width, ΔTc. These findings highlight the critical influence of sintering temperature on the structural and microstructural properties, which in turn govern the superconducting performance of (Bi, Pb)-2223 ceramics.