Raman Characterization of Melt-Textured Gd1212 Superconductors in the Normal State

In this work, GdSr 2 RuCu 2 O 8-δ (Gd1212) superconductor-based melt-textured pellets in the normal state were analyzed by means of the Raman Microscopy. The Raman spectroscopy and microscopy provided a structural mapping of our Gd1212 samples, allowing us to distinguish superconducting matrix from nonsuperconducting phases inclusions (precipitates) and providing an instrument to discriminate among optical responses of the different compounds. Specifically, the Raman characterization revealed the presence of two different precipitates instead of the expected one, suggesting that more phases may be involved in the melting-resolidification process than what was presumed.