Magnetic doping effects on the superconductivity of Y1-xMxBa2Cu3O7-δ (M = Fe, Co, Ni)

The discovery of superconductivity in copper oxide compounds has attracted considerable attention over the past three decades. The high transition temperature in these compounds, exhibiting proximity to an antiferromagnetic order in their phase diagrams, remains one of the main areas of research. The present study attempts to introduce Fe, Co and Ni magnetic impurities into the superconducting Y-123 with the aim of exploring the transition temperature behavior. The solid-state synthesis is exploited to prepare fully oxygenated Y1-xMxBa2Cu3O7 (M = Co, Fe, Ni) samples with low levels of doping (0< x < 0.03). Systematic measurements are then employed to assess the synthesized samples using AC magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity and X-ray diffraction. The measurements revealed an increase in Tc as a result of magnetic substitution for Y. However, the study of non-magnetic dopings on the fully oxygenated Y1-xM'xBa2Cu3O7 (M' = Ca, Sr) samples showed a decrease in Tc. Quantitative XRD analysis further suggested that the internal pressure could have minor effects on the increase in Tc. The normal state resistivity vs temperature showed a linear profile, confirming that the samples are at an optimal doping of the carrier concentration.