Thermal-strain-induced enhancement of electromagnetic properties of SiC-MgB2 composites

Authors

Rong Zeng, University of WollongongFollow
S X. Dou, University of WollongongFollow
Lin Lu, University of WollongongFollow
Wenxian Li, University of WollongongFollow
Jung Ho Kim, University of WollongongFollow
Paul G. Munroe, The University of New South Wales
Rongkun Zheng, University of Sydney
S P. Ringer, University of Sydney

RIS ID

31480

Publication Details

Zeng, R., Dou, S. Xue., Lu, L., Li, W., Kim, J., Munroe, P. R., Zheng, R. K. & Ringer, S. (2009). Thermal-strain-induced enhancement of electromagnetic properties of SiC-MgB₂ composites. Applied Physics Letters, 94 ((042510)), 1-3.

Abstract

The effect of thermal strain caused by the different thermal expansion coefficients (α) of the MgB₂ and SiC phases on the electromagnetic properties was studied for SiC–MgB₂ composite, which was made by premixing SiC and B, followed by Mg diffusion and reaction. Thermal strain in the MgB₂ phase was demonstrated with x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. In contrast to the common practice of improving the critical current density J_c and the upper critical field H_c2 of MgB₂ through chemical substitution, by taking advantage of residual thermal strains, we are able to design a composite showing only a small decrease in the critical temperature and a little increase in resistivity but a significant improvement over the J_c and H_c2 of pure MgB₂.

Grant Number

ARC/DP0770205

Additional Grant Number

http://purl.org/au-research/grants/ARC/DP0770205