High-Tcsuperconductor/linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) composite materials for diamagnetic applications

A series of composite samples of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7− x and linear low density polyethylene (Y-123/LLDPE) with volume percentage ranging from 0 to 75% was prepared. The crystallinity of the composites was studied using x-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. It is found that the percentage of crystallinity in the composite samples increases with increasing volume of the LLDPE. A four-phase system for the composite materials may be inferred from a combination of XRD and density data. Repulsive force measurements showed that the diamagnetic properties were preserved in the composites and the samples exhibited appreciable magnetic levitation forces and this force increases with increasing volume fraction of the superconductor filler.