ENHANCED FLUX-PINNING IN BI2SR2CACU2O8+X SUPERCONDUCTOR WITH EMBEDDED CARBON NANOTUBES

This paper describes a new approach towards enhanced flux pinning in high-temperature superconductors, and with a potential for scale-up to bulk application. It is shown that carbon nanotubes can be embedded in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x superconductor, thus displacing the superconducting material from a cylindrical volume suitable for strong pinning of vortex lines along its length. The best-case superconductor-nanotube composite thus prepared was found to surpass the pure ceramic superconducting matrix in terms of pinning properties. Although optimum conditions were yet not reached the intragrain critical current density was estimated to have been increased by about one order of magnitude.