Microstructure and Mechanical Strength of Gamma Ray Irradiated Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 (Bi-2212) Superconductor

Abstract

Effect of gamma irradiation on the electrical and mechanical properties of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 (hereafter Bi-2212) superconductor was studied by exposing the Bi-2212 superconductor with 100kGray dose. Bi-2212 bulk samples were synthesized using solid-state and co-precipitation method. In order to determine the characteristic of the samples, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were performed and analyzed. Then Instron Universal Testing machine was used to measure the strength of the samples. The XRD patterns for the non-irradiated and irradiated samples show well-defined peaks of which could be indexed on the basis of a Bi-2212 phase structure. XRD patterns also indicate that gamma irradiation reduced the intensity of the peaks. SEM micrographs show disorientation in the texture of the microstructure for irradiated samples. The results also show that disorientation of grain size leads to reduction in mechanical strength. The phase purity, lattice parameter, surface morphology and crystallinity of the samples prepared by the two methods were compared with each other