The Effect of Sintering Time on the Formation of the BPSCCO-2212 Superconductor Phase at The Levels of Ca=1.10 Using the Wet Mixing Method

Abstract

Bi_1.7Pb_0.3Sr₂Ca_1.10Cu₂O_8+δ (BPSCCO-2212) superconductors. Samples were synthesized via the wet mixing method, calcined at 800 °C for 10 hours, and sintered at 830 °C with dwelling times varied between 10 and 40 hours. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that the volume fraction of the BPSCCO-2212 phase was highly dependent on sintering duration, reaching a maximum purity of 86.72% for the sample sintered for 40 hours. In contrast, the sample sintered for 30 hours exhibited the lowest phase purity at 53.07%. The degree of orientation, determined from XRD data, ranged from 7.67% to 13.59%. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) characterization confirmed the polycrystalline nature of all samples, revealing a lack of preferred orientation and the presence of numerous intergranular voids. These findings underscore that extended sintering time is crucial for optimizing the phase purity of BPSCCO-2212, although it does not fully mitigate microstructural defects such as porosity.