Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Applied Physics A (2020) 126:25 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-019-3196-2 Fabrication and characterization of YCa 2 Cu 3 O 7 superconductors using natural (CaCO 3 ) nanoparticles extracted from Sepia pharaonis Zeynab Amoudeh 1  · Tahmineh Jalali 1  · Shahriar Osfouri 2 Received: 3 October 2019 / Accepted: 29 November 2019 / Published online: 12 December 2019 © Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2019 Abstract In this Paper, YCa 2 Cu 3 O 7 superconductor composites were fabricated with biocompatible carbonate calcium nanoparticles. The efect of the biocompatible nanoparticle on YBCO superconductor properties were investigated. For this purpose, planetary ball milling process used to produce CaCO 3 nanoparticles from cuttlebone (Sepia pharaonis) of the Persian Gulf. Then, samples of superconductor composite with the natural carbonate calcium were fabricated. The samples were prepared by solid state reaction method with mixing, calcination and sintering process. The samples were characterized and studied using dynamic light scattering technique, Meissner efect test, XRD analysis and FESEM imaging. The critical current den- sity ( J C ) and oxygen content of samples were measured by traditional four-probes method and iodometric titration method, respectively. The superconducting transition temperatures and J C were determined 90.2 K and 28.4 A∕cm 2 by four-probe method measurements, respectively. The results showed a signifcant enhancement of the superconducting J C due to using the natural CaCO 3 nanoparticles in the samples. 1 Introduction The discovery of high-temperature superconductors (HTS) in 1986 by Bednorz and Muller in the La–Ba–Cu–O compo- sition led to research eforts owing to their potential appli- cations. Transition temperatures of cuprate (copper oxide) superconductors are estimated about 35 K [1]. The cuprate superconductors have a layered crystal structure consisting of CuO 2 planes separated by charge reservoir layers, which dope electrons into the CuO 2 planes and play an important role in the formation of a superconducting phase [2]. To fnd another kind of high-temperature superconductor on organic conductors, it has been investigated by Little [3], which is based on the coherent motion of paired electrons mechanism to describe the electrons moving along an organic polymer. The frst superconductivity in an organic material was found in pressurized (TMTSFhPF6 (bis-tetra- methyl- tetraselenafulvalene-hexafuorophosphate) in 1979 [4, 5]. By replacing PF6 with As F6, SbF6 , CI04 ; a series of organic superconductors were Discovered [5]. Diferent synthesis techniques have been employed to prepare BSCCO to improve the superconducting properties [6] such as solid- state method [7], polymer method [8], sol-gel [9], and ball milling [10]. It has been reported that these techniques improve superconducting properties. These superconduc- tors have many applications in high-temperature systems [11], energy storage systems [12], magnetic systems [13], and current limiting devices [14]. The application of YBCO polycrystalline superconductors is more limited due to poor grain boundary ionic conductivity and as a result a large reduction in the overall critical current density. The improve- ment of J C and its behavior under a magnetic feld can be obtained by introducing efcient pinning centers with a size, which can suppress the fux fow. Chemical substitution is one of the strategies for improving the superconductivity and microstructure properties of YBCO [15]. So far, the calcium substitution in barium site of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 ceramic has investigated due to the direct efect on charge transfer. These hole-doping increases the structure density of states and moves the Fermi energy inside the valence band and raises T C [15]. The calcium doping with a density of 10% in YBa 2 Cu 4 O 8 increases the transition temperature to 90 K * Tahmineh Jalali jalali@pgu.ac.ir Shahriar Osfouri Osfouri@pgu.ac.ir 1 Physics Department, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr 75169-13817, Iran 2 Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Petroleum, Gas, and Petrochemical Engineering, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr 75169-13817, Iran