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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 February 2011
Decomposition of 124 into 123 has been studied after rapid annealing at temperatures from 800°C to 1000°C. It was foundthat the superconducting transition temperature (Tc) depended on the annealing temperature and atmosphere. For decomposedsamples, fine-scale defects with strong strain contrast are observed in the 123 matrix. High-resolution electron microscopy studies show that the defects are parallel to the (001) planes of the 123 matrix. The length of the defects varies andranges from 5 nm to 50 nm in the direction parallel to the (001) planes. The defects have been interpreted to be copper oxides, which could be flux pinning centers in these materials.