The growth of the high-T \(_c\) cuprate Bi \(_2\) Sr \(_2\) CaCu \(_2\) O \(_{8+\delta }\) (BSCCO-2212) superconductor is always challenging due to the contamination from alumina crucible or the intergrowth of other phases such as Bi \(_2\) Sr \(_2\) CuO \(_{6+ \delta }\) (Bi-2201). In this work, we report the synthesis of single crystals of BSCCO-2212 with the highest reported superconducting transition temperature, T \(_c\) , of 96.6 K, achieved using an improved self-flux technique. The as-grown crystals were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and powder x-ray diffraction (p-XRD) measurements. PXRD on single crystals reveals the absence of contamination from the alumina crucible as well as the absence of the intergrowth of Bi-2201 phase. PXRD on crushed single crystals reveals minimal intergrowth of Bi-2201 and Bi-2223 phases. The physical properties were investigated by carrying out temperature-dependent magnetization and resistance measurements. Magnetization measurements revealed the T \(_c\) of three single crystals of BSCCO-2212 to be 93 K, 94 K, and 96.6 K, higher than the previously reported values in the range from \(\sim \) 90 to 93 K [1–5]. Such a high T \(_c\) and the absence of an intergrowth phase indicates a good quality of the grown crystals that can be utilized for fundamental as well as basic research.
