Strong enhancement of critical current density in MgB2 superconductor using carbohydrate doping

Abstract

With the relatively high critical temperature (Tc) of 39 K1 and the high critical current density (Jc) of > 100000 A/cm2 in moderate fields, magnesium diboride (MgB2) superconductors could offer the promise of important large-scale and electronic device applications to be operated at 20 K. A significant enhancement in the electromagnetic properties of MgB2 has been achieved through doping with various form of carbon (C). However, doping effect has been limited by the agglomeration of nano-sized dopants and the poor reactivity of C containing dopants with MgB2. Un-reacted dopants result in a reduction of superconductor volume. In this work, we demonstrate the advantages of carbohydrate doping over other dopants, resulting in an increase of in-field Jc by more than one order of magnitude without any degradation of self-field Jc. As there are numerous carbohydrates readily available this finding has significant ramifications not only for the fabrication of MgB2 but also for many C based compounds and composites.