• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.75-81
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• 2011

We report on the progress that has been made in developing $MgB_2$ superconducting wires and tapes for commercialization and research efforts. A number of techniques have been developed to overcome the obstacle posed by the poor critical current density ($J_c$) of pristine $MgB_2$. Chemical doping has proved to be the effective way to modify and enhance the superconducting properties, such as the $J_c$ and the irreversibility field ($B_{irr}$). More than 100 different types of dopants have been investigated over the past 8 years. Among these, the most effective dopants have been identified to be SiC and malic acid ($C_4H_6O_5$). The best results, viz. a $B_{irr}$ of 22 T and $J_c$ of $30,000\;A{\cdot}cm^{-2}$ at 4.2 K and 10 T, were reported for malic acid doped $MgB_2$ wires, which matched the benchmark performance of commercial low temperature superconductor wires. In this work, we discuss the progress made in $MgB_2$ conductors over the past few years at the University of Wollongong, Hyper Tech Research, Inc., and Ohio State University.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.81-85
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• 2007

MnTe layers of high crystalline quality were successfully grown on Si(100) : B and Si(111) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Under tellurium-rich condition and the substrate temperature around $400^{\circ}C$, a layer thickness of $700{\AA}$ could be easily obtained with the growth rate of $1.1 {\AA}/s$. We investigated the structural, magnetic and transport properties of MnTe layers by using x-ray diffraction (XRD), superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry, and physical properties measurement system (PPMS). Characterization of MnTe layers on Si(100) : B and Si(111) substrates by XRD revealed a hexagonal structure of polycrystals with lattice parameters, ${\alpha}=4.143{\pm}0.001{\AA}\;and\;c=6.707{\pm}0.001{\AA}$. Investigation of magnetic and transport properties of MnTe films showed anomalies unlike antiferromagnetic powder MnTe. The temperature dependence of the magnetization data taken in zero-field-tooling (ZFC) and field-cooling (FC) conditions indicates three magnetic transitions at around 21, 49, and 210 K as well as the great irreversibility between ZFC and FC magnetization in the films. These anomalies are attributable to a magnetic-elastic coupling in the films. Magnetization measurements indicate ferromagnetic behaviour with hysteresis loops at 5 and 300 K for MnTe polycrystalline film. The coercivity ($H_c$) values at 5 and 300 K are 55 and 44 Oe, respectively. In electro-transport measurements, the temperature dependence of resistivity revealed a noticeable semiconducting behaviours and showed conduction via Mott variable range hopping at low temperatures.