Superconducting Properties of Graphene Doped Magnesium Diboride

Graphene, carbon in the form of monolayer sheets, has revealed astonishing and unique chemical and physical properties, which have made it an extremely active research topic in both materials science and physics (Novoselov, K. S. et al., 2004). Through chemical and materials integration, graphene is being actively exploited in a range of technological applications (Stankovich, S. et al., 2006). Superconductors can carry electrical current without any energy dissipation. The combination of both graphene and a superconductor into a composite has great potential for electrical devices and large scale applications. MgB2, a superconductor with a simple composition and two-gap feature has great potential for large current carrying applications, as demonstrated through a series of chemical dopings (Dou, S. X. et al. 2007). In the case of graphene’s, the strict two-dimensionality and its high electrical and thermal conductivities, make it an ideal candidate for integrating/doping into MgB2 in order to improve the superconducting properties.