We studied the effect of superconducting fluctuations on the electrical conductivity of granular samples of Y 1-x Tb x Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ superconductors. For all samples we observed that the transition proceeds in two stages. Above the critical temperature, the Gaussian and critical regimes were observed, independently of the terbium concentration. In the regime of approach to the zero resistance state, and for low concentrations of terbium, an occurrence of a coherence transition was observed. For high concentrations of Tb , the results show a strong disorder at mesoscopic levels.

The discovery of the spatial uniform coexistence of superconductivity and ferromagnetism in rutheno-cuprates, RuSr2GdCu2O8 (Ru-1212), has spurred an extraordinary development in the study of the competition between magnetism and superconductivity. However, several points of their preparation process and characterization that determine their superconductive behavior are still obscure. The improvement of sample preparation conditions involves some thermal treatments in inert atmosphere. The first treatment results in the immediate formation of Sr2GdRuO6. Using the CuO composition as a precursor, we produced Ru-1212. To turn it metallic and superconductor, besides the previous treatment, a final sinterization is carried out in oxygen flow for several days. Three Ru-1212 samples were produced by varying the last sinterization time (two, four, and six days under oxygen flow). Through measurements of x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, differential thermal analysis, magnetic susceptibility and mechanical spectroscopy, it was studied the influence of the treatments under oxygen atmosphere on the structural and superconducting properties of the material.

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