Vladimir Sverdun

The inclusions of Mg?B (MgB12?) as potential pinning centres in high-pressure?high-temperature-synthesized or sintered magnesium diboride

A systematic study of the structure and superconductive characteristics of high-pressure?high-temperature (2?GPa, 700?1000??C)-synthesized and sintered MgB2 without additions from different initial powders was performed. Among various secondary phases Mg?B inclusions with a stoichiometry close to MgB12 were identified. With an increasing amount of these inclusions the critical current density increased. So these inclusions can be feasible pinning centres in MgB2. The highest jc values in zero field were 1300?kA?cm?2 at 10?K, 780?kA?cm?2 at 20?K and 62?kA?cm?2 at 35?K and in 1?T field were 1200?kA?cm?2 at 10?K, 515?kA?cm?2 at 20?K and 0.1?kA?cm?2 at 35?K for high-pressure-synthesized magnesium diboride and the field of irreversibility at 20?K reached 8?T. The average grain sizes calculated from x-ray examinations in materials having high jc were 15?37?nm.

Effect of higher borides and inhomogeneity of oxygen distribution on critical current density of undoped and doped magnesium diboride

The effect of doping with Ti, Ta, SiC in complex with synthesis temperature on the amount and distribution of structural inhomogeneities in MgB2 matrix of high-pressure-synthesized-materials (2 GPa) which can influence pinning: higher borides (MgB12) and oxygen-enriched Mg-B-O inclusions, was established and a mechanism of doping effect on jc increase different from the generally accepted was proposed. Near theoretically dense SiC-doped material exhibited jc= 106 A/cm2 in 1T field and Hirr =8.5 T at 20 K. The highest jc in fields above 9, 6, and 4 T at 10, 20, and 25 K, respectively, was demonstrated by materials synthesized at 2 GPa, 600 °C from Mg and B without additions (at 20 K jc= 102 A/cm2 in 10 T field). Materials synthesized from Mg and B taken up to 1:20 ratio were superconductive. The highest jc (6×104 A/cm2 at 20 K in zero field, Hirr= 5 T) and the amount of SC phase (95.3% of shielding fraction), Tc being 37 K were demonstrated by materials having near MgB12 composition of the matrix. The materials with MgB12 matrix had a doubled microhardness of that with MgB2 matrix (25±1.1 GPa and 13.08±1.07 GPa, at a load of 4.9 N, respectively).

Studies of the oxidation stability, mechanical characteristics of materials based on max phases of the Ti-Al-(C, N) systems, and of the possibility of their use as tool bonds and materials for polishing

Thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis have been used to study the resistance to the air oxidation of high-density samples of Ti3AlC2, Ti2AlC and Ti2Al(C1−xNx) solid solutions. It has been shown that the Ti3AlC2 samples are more stable than Ti2AlC and Ti2Al(C1−xNx) solid solutions and as the nitrogen content of the solid solution increases to x = 0.75, the oxidation resistance decreases. The following characteristics have been exhibited by the material containing 89 wt % Ti3AlC2 (the rest being Al2O3 and TiC) having density 99% of theoretical: bending strength Rbm = 500 MPa, compressive strength Rcm = 700 MPa, fracture toughness KIc = 10.2 MPa·m0.5, hardness HRA = 70 GPa, HV = 4.6 GPa, Young modulus = 149.4 ± 28.7 GPa. After sintering with diamonds or cBN (50 wt %) at 5.5–7.7 GPa and 1350–1960°C for 0.07–1.0 h the Ti3AlC2 MAX phase decomposes to form TiC and TiAl or TiB2 and a thin layer of Al4C3 forms at the interface with diamond. The Al4C3 decomposition in a composite material due to the interaction with the air moisture results in the crack initiation along the diamond perimeter, which brings about the material fracture in 1–2 weeks. It has been found that the Ti3AlC2 powder is efficient for polishing natural and synthetic jewelry crystals and competitive in polishing efficiency and quality with ACM 2/1 grade diamond.

Formation of Higher Borides During High-Pressure Synthesis and Sintering of Magnesium Diboride and Their Positive Effect on Pinning and Critical Current Density

Critical current density (j_c) of high-pressure (2 GPa) manufactured MgB₂-based superconductors depends on the amount and distribution of higher borides (MgB₁₂) in MgB₂ matrix, which in turn are determined by the nature of the initial components first of all B or MgB₂ and the temperature of sintering or synthesis. Ti and Ta additions can improve j_c by promoting the higher boride formation via impurity hydrogen absorption, thus preventing MgH₂ detrimental for j_c being formed, which possibly increases the MgB₁₂ nucleation barrier. SiC (0.2-0.8 mum) addition increases j_c of MgB₂, allowing us to get j_c = 10⁶ A/cm² at 20 K in the 1 T field: pinning is increased by SiC and higher boride grains and there is no notable interaction between SiC and MgB₂ . As the synthesis temperature increases from 800 to 1050degC, Ti and SiC additions may affect the oxygen segregation and formation of Mg-B-O inclusions enriched with oxygen as compared to the amount of oxygen in the MgB₂ matrix, which can also promote an increase in pinning. Materials high-pressure synthesized from Mg and B taken in 1:4, 1:6, 1:7, 1:8, 1:10, 1:12, 1:20 ratios were superconductive with T_c of about 37 K. High j_c (7middot10⁴ - 2middot10⁴ A/cm² in zero field at 10-30 K, respectively) showed materials with the matrix composition near MgB₁₂ stoichiometry, they have doubled microhardness of MgB_2.

Structure, mechanical and functional properties of aluminum nitride-silicon carbide ceramic material

Two-phase ceramic composites of the dielectric-semiconductor type having different semiconducting phase content (aluminum nitride ceramics with uniformly distributed inclusions of silicon carbide of a certain size) have been produced by pressureless sintering. These composites are characterized by Vickers hardness HV (150 N) 9.5–15.8 GPa, Palmqvist fracture toughness 3.0–4.2 MPa m0.5, bending strength 132–209 MPa, thermal conductivity 37–82 W/(m K), and by a coefficient of the microwave electromagnetic energy attenuation to 36.3 dB/cm. It has been found that as the size of silicon carbide grains in aluminum nitride-based ceramics increases, the thermal conductivity increases and microwave energy attenuation decreases, which is indicative of the decisive role of grain boundaries in scattering both phonons and microwave radiation.

Spark plasma synthesis and sintering of superconducting MgB 2-based Materials

Superconducting (SC) and mechanical properties of spark plasma (or SPS) produced MgB2 –based materials allow their efficient applications in fault current limiters, superconducting electromotors, pumps, generators, magnetic bearings, etc. The synthesized from Mg and B at 50 MPa, 1050 °C for 30 min material has a density of 2.52 g/cm3, critical current density, jc = 7.1•105 A/cm2 at 10 K , 5.4 •105 A/cm2 at 20 K, and 9•104 A/cm2 at 35 K in zero magnetic field; at 20 K its field of irreversibility Birr(20)=7 T and upper critical field Bc2(20)=11 T; microhardness HV=10.5 GPa and fracture toughness K1C =1.7 MPa•m1/2 at 4.9 N-load. SPS-manufactured in- situ MgB2-based materials usually have somewhat higher jc than sintered ex-situ. The pressure variations from 16 to 96 MPa during the SPS-process did not affect material SC characteristics significantly; the jc at 10-20 K was slightly higher and the material density was higher by 11%, when pressures of 50-96 MPa were used. The structure of SPS-produced MgB2 material contains Mg-B-O inclusions and inclusions of higher borides (of compositions near MgB4, MgB7, MgB12, MgB17, MgB20), which can be pinning centers. The presence of higher borides in the MgB2 structure can be revealed by the SEM and Raman spectroscopy.

High-Pressure Synthesized Nanostructural

A variety of samples made via different routes were investigated. Samples are nanostructured (average grain sizes are about 20 nm). The advantage of high-pressure (HP)-manufactured (2 GPa, 800-1050°C, 1 h) MgB₂ bulk is the possibility to get almost theoretically dense (1-2% porosity) material with very high critical current densities reaching at 20 K, in 0-1 T j_c = 1.2 1.0 · 10⁶ A/cm² (with 10% SiC doping) and j_c = 9.2 - 7.3 10⁵ A/cm² (without doping). Mechanical properties are also very high: fracture toughness up to 4.4 ± 0.04 MPa · m^0.5 and 7.6 ± 2.0 MPa · m^0.5 at 148.8 N load for MgB₂ undoped and doped with 10% Ta, respectively. The HP-synthesized material at moderate temperature (2 GPa, 600°C, 1 h) from B with high amount of impurity C (3.15%) and H (0.87%) has j_c = 103 A/cm² in 8 T fleld at 20 K, highest irreversibility fields (at 18.4 K H_irr = 15 T) and upper critical fields (at 22 K H_C2 = 15 T) but 17% porosity. HP materials with stoichiometry near MgB₁₂ can have T_c = 37 K and j_c = 6 · 10⁴ A/cm² at 0 T and H_irr = 5 T at 20 K. The spark plasma synthesized (SPS) material (50 MPa, 600-1050°C 1.3 h, without additions), demonstrated at 20 K, in 0-1 T j_c = 4.5-4 10⁵ A/cm². Dispersed inclusions of higher magnesium borides, which are usually present in MgB₂ structure and obviously create new pinning centers can be revealed by Raman spectroscopy (for the first time a spectrum of MgB₂ was obtained). Tests of quench behavior, losses on MgB₂ rings and material thermal conductivity show promising properties for fault current limiters. Due to high critical fields, the material can be used for magnets.

{\hbox {MgB}}_{2}

Bulk MgB₂- and YBaCuO-based materials are competitive candidates for applications. The properties of both compounds can be significantly improved by high temperature-high pressure preparation methods. The transformation of grain boundary pinning to point pinning in MgB₂-based materials with increasing manufacturing temperature from 800 to 1050^°C under pressures from 0.1 MPa to 2 GPa correlates well with an increase in critical current density in low and intermediate magnetic fields and with the redistribution of boron and oxygen in the material structure. As the manufacturing temperature increases (to 2 GPa), the discontinuous oxygen-enriched layers transform into distinct Mg-B-O inclusions, and the size and amount of inclusions of higher borides MgB_X (X>;2) are reduced. The effect of oxygen and boron redistribution can be enhanced by Ti or SiC addition. The oxygenation of melt-textured YBa₂Cu₃O_{7 - δ} (MT-YBaCuO) under oxygen pressure (16 MPa) allows one to increase the oxygenation temperature from 440°C to 700-800°C, which leads to an increase of the twin density in the Y123 matrix and to a decrease of dislocations, stacking faults, and the density of microcracks, and as a result, to an increase of the critical current density, <i>J</i>_c, and the trapped magnetic field. In MT-YBaCuO, practically free form dislocations and stacking faults and with a twin density of 22-35 μm^-1, <i>J</i>_c of 100 kA/cm² (at 77 K, 0 T) has been achieved, and the importance of twins in Y123 for pinning was demonstrated experimentally.

Materials With High Performance of Superconductivity, Suitable for Fault Current Limitation and Other Applications

Abstract Model experiments on joining of melt-textured YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7− δ (MT-YBCO) using rings cut from bulk single domain give the strong proof that the critical current density through the soldered seam obtained using a Tm123 powder as a solder is at the same level as that through the MT-YBCO (34 kA/cm 2 at 77 K in the 0 T field) and that the proposed comparatively short soldering process allows us to obtain soldered bulk with the even higher j c (up to 2.5 T fields at 77 K) than that of the initial unbroken one. The seam structure (including the twinned one) slaved the structure of the jointed MT-YBCO.

Pinning in

The possibility to oxygenate the YBa2Cu3O7−δ(Y123) structure to 7−δ ≈ 6.9 atoms (which ensures the highest temperature of transition into the superconductive state of this compound) at high temperature (800°C) and relatively low pressure (16 MPa) of oxygen has been first shown. This fact differs from the generally accepted notions of the equilibrium in the given system. It has been found that the MT-YBCO oxygenation at enhanced pressures and high temperatures decreases the oxygenation time and the amount of cracks and increases the twin density in the material, which positively affects the critical current density and mechanical characteristics of the ceramics. The experiments have shown that twins are largely responsible for high density of the critical currents jc and irreversibility fields in the MT-YBCO ceramics. In the case of high dislocation density (1012 cm−2) and low twin density (0–1 μm−1) in the Y123 structure, the critical current turned out to be an order of magnitude lower than in the case of high twin density (22 μm−1) and absence of dislocations and stacking faults. The density of twins and microcracks (parallel to the ab plane) in the structure of the YBa2Cu3O7−δ phase has been found to depend on the size of the Y2BaCuO5 inclusions and the pattern of their distribution, which in turn is defined by the initial materials. A process has been developed of the oxygenation of the thin-wall (cellular) MT-YBCO ceramics under the conditions of the controllable oxygen pressure from 0.5 kPa to 16 MPa and temperatures from 900 to 800°C. The process allows one to attain record high jc values and double the trapped magnetic field as compared to both the bulk MT-YBCO ceramics oxygenated under the same conditions and thin-wall MT-YBCO ceramics oxygenated at atmospheric pressure and optimal temperature.