Articolo in rivista, 2014, ENG, 10.1063/1.4882022

Magnetic signature of granular superconductivity in electrodeposited Pb nanowires

Riminucci, Alberto; Schwarzacher, Walther

Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR); University of Bristol

Nanocrystalline freestanding Pb nanowires similar to 200 nm in diameter were fabricated by electrodeposition into track etched polycarbonate membranes in order to study their superconducting properties. Their superconducting critical temperature, as determined by measuring the Meissner effect, was the same as for bulk Pb, but their critical field was greatly enhanced up to similar to 3000 Oe. By assuming the wires consisted of spherical superconducting grains, an estimated grain size r = 60 +/- 25 nm was obtained from the magnetization measured as a function of the applied magnetic field at a fixed temperature. An independent estimate for r = 47 +/- 12 nm, in good agreement with the previous one, was obtained from the magnetization measured as a function of temperature at a fixed applied magnetic field. Transmission electron microscopy was used to characterize grain size at the wire edges, where a grain size in agreement with the magnetic studies was observed. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.

Journal of applied physics 115 (22)

Keywords

CNR authors

Riminucci Alberto

CNR institutes

ISMN – Istituto per lo studio dei materiali nanostrutturati