Effect of Pr substitution on the normal-state and superconducting properties of GdBa$_2$(Cu$_{2.9}$Al$_{0.1}$)O$_z$

We report results of a comparative study of the normal-state and superconducting properties in the GdBa$_2$(Cu$_{2.9}$Al$_{0.1}$)O$_z$ system with substitutions by Pr for the Gd and Ba sites. It is observed that, fur both Pr-doped systems, the superconducting transition temperature(T$_c$) decreases almost linearly with the Pr-content, but Pr at Ba sites results in a faster T$_c$ drop than that of Pr at Gd sites. The thermoelectric power measurements indicate that there is a strong correlation between the T$_c$ and the room temperature value of thermoelectric power. The experimental results are discussed in connection with existing models.