Anisotropy of the thermal conductivity of melt-textured Y123/Y211 composites

Thermal conductivity, kappa, of melt-textured Y123/Y211 composites has been studied in the temperature range 4-300 K for several concentrations of the insulating Y211 phase. Detailed kappa(T) measurements were performed in th e ab-plane and along the c-axis for samples with about 0, 20 and 30 wt% of Y211. The absolute values of kappa measured in both the directions decrease considerably with increasing quantity of Y211. Moreover, the characteristi c maximum of the in-plane kappa(T), which is observed below T-c, is substan tially suppressed for the samples with high Y211 concentration. The results were analyzed within the electron-phonon interaction and the quasi-particl e models. Analysis indicate that scattering of quasi-particles is mainly re sponsible for suppression of the maximum in the in-plane kappa(T) dependenc e. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.