Synthesis and Characterization of RuSr2R1.6Ce0.4Cu2O10 (R = Gd, Eu, and Sm) Magnetosuperconductors

The discovery of the coexistence of superconductivity and weak ferromagnetism in ruthenocuprates like (Ru, R-1222; R = Eu, Gd) and RuSr 2 GdCu 2 O 8 (Ru-1212) has created a tremendous interest both experimentally as well as theoretically. Here, we have prepared polycrystalline samples of RuSr 2 R 1.4 Ce 0.6 Cu 2 O 10 (R = Gd, Eu, and Sm) by the standard solid state reaction method. These samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, dc resistivity, and squid measurements. All the prepared samples were single phase without any trace of impurity. From the low-temperature resistivity measurement, the samples of (R = Eu and Gd) were found to be superconducting, while the samples of RuSr 2 Sm 1.6 Ce 0.4 Cu 2 O 10 show semiconducting behavior. The magnetization ( M ) versus field ( H ) hysteresis at 5 K clearly shows the ferromagnetic behavior of the samples. The zero field cooled magnetization () and field cooled magnetization () diverge at 100 K.