Temperature dependence of thermal conductivity of vanadium substituted BPSCCO system between 10 and 150 K

Thermal conductivity of a set of (Bi0.8Pb0.2-yVy)2 Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+δ (0 = y ≤ 0.05) pellets in the temperature range between 10 and 150 K is reported. Vanadium substitution influences strongly the magnitude of thermal conductivity (lambda) over the entire temperature range. But the nature of λ(T) dependence remains similar to that generally observed for HTSCs. The electronic contribution to the total λ in the normal state is estimated to be ∼ 25%. We have attempted to examine our data, assuming the role of both electrons and phonons in the origin of the λ(T) behaviour below Tc. Observed temperature variation of λ(T) for the present set of samples could be explained very well assuming this electron + approach. Some of the microscopic quantities estimated from the best-fit parameters give reasonable values. (author)