Abstract
$MgB_2$ bulk samples were sintered at different ambient. In this work, high purity Ar gas was added with oxygen and hydrogen gas, which can be regarded as impurity in a sense, as a possible dopant in the $MgB_2$. It was found that oxygen in the sintering ambient leads to a decrease in the critical current density $J_c$ at self field and lower fields. However, we can obtained higher $J_c$ at higher fields. It was also noted that $MgB_2$ samples sintered with 5% hydrogen in Ar revealed the increased $J_c$ at all fields compared to those processed in pure Ar ambient. From the XRD and FESEM analysis, the impurity gas in Ar can refine the $MgB_2$ grain size and result in increased grain. boundary, which can act as a strong flux pinning sites in $MgB_2$ samples. Also discussed are the effects of sintering ambient on irreversibility field, $H_{irr}$ and the upper critical field, $H_{C2}$.
