Effect of site-selective substitution in bulk superconducting Tl₂Ba₂CaCu₂O₈

Magnetization measurements were carried out on bulk Tl₂Ba₂CaCu₂O₈ (referred to as Tl-2212) and on various site-selective substituted Tl-2212 samples. At 5K between 0 and 4.5 T, the 5 at. % Mg-doped Tl-2212 (Tl,Mg-2212) samples displayed enhanced pinning as demonstrated by a field dependent increase of the magnetic critical-current density J_c by 18 to 25 percent over that of pristine Tl-2212. Excess Mg (10-15 at. %), however, is deleterious. Rietveld refinement of the x-ray diffraction pattern showed Mg on the Tl sites. Auger electron spectroscopy analysis showed part of the Mg on grain boundaries. The flux-creep activation energies are higher for flux expulsion than for flux penetration in both Tl-2212 and Tl,Mg-2212 samples; the latter displays higher individual values. Our results demonstrate an increase in the number density of flux lines as a result of increased density of atomic-size-structural, defects by Mg (5 at. %) doping. In the Tl_2-yBa₂(Ca_1-zY_z)Cu₂O_8-x(z=0-0.3; single phase; x and y represent oxygen and thallium vacancies) system also studied, the T_c decreases as z increases. At z=0.3, the sample becomes an antiferromagnetic semiconductor.