Influence of the sintering process on critical currents, irreversibility lines and pinning energies in multifilamentary MgB2wires

Ag-doped MgB2 bulk superconductors have been prepared using a standard solid state processing. The addition of Ag to MgB2 powders during the sintering process has been found to result in an important advantage, namely, the prevention/reduction of loss of Mg, a problem most commonly observed in the sintering of MgB2 bulk samples at elevated temperature and ambient pressures. The Ag-doped MgB2 sample has a distinct superconducting transition temperature around 39 K, while the undoped MgB2 undergoes only a very feeble transition to a diamagnetic superconducting state at around 39 K. The normal conducting silver regions in the MgB2 matrix acts as pinning centers resulting in the realization of high critical currents in the presence of magnetic fields.

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Aspects of microanalysis in a transmission electron microscope

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100109690 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 510-511

Author(s):

R. Sinclair ◽

B.E. Jacobson

Keyword(s):

Grain Size ◽

Electron Beam ◽

Electron Microscope ◽

Chemical Analysis ◽

Transmission Electron Microscope ◽

Vapor Deposition ◽

Critical Currents ◽

X Ray ◽

Fine Grain ◽

Transmission Electron

INTRODUCTIONThe prospect of performing chemical analysis of thin specimens at any desired level of resolution is particularly appealing to the materials scientist. Commercial TEM-based systems are now available which virtually provide this capability. The purpose of this contribution is to illustrate its application to problems which would have been intractable until recently, pointing out some current limitations.X-RAY ANALYSISIn an attempt to fabricate superconducting materials with high critical currents and temperature, thin Nb3Sn films have been prepared by electron beam vapor deposition [1]. Fine-grain size material is desirable which may be achieved by codeposition with small amounts of Al2O3 . Figure 1 shows the STEM microstructure, with large (∽ 200 Å dia) voids present at the grain boundaries. Higher quality TEM micrographs (e.g. fig. 2) reveal the presence of small voids within the grains which are absent in pure Nb3Sn prepared under identical conditions. The X-ray spectrum from large (∽ lμ dia) or small (∽100 Ǻ dia) areas within the grains indicates only small amounts of A1 (fig.3).

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Microstructural Study of Diamond Deformed Under High Pressure and Temperature

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100118072 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 43 ◽

pp. 230-231

Author(s):

E. F. Koch

Keyword(s):

High Pressure ◽

High Temperature ◽

Lattice Structure ◽

Diamond Particle ◽

Polycrystalline Diamond ◽

Sintering Process ◽

Ion Milling ◽

Sintered Compact ◽

Transmission Electron ◽

High Pressure Sintering

Because of the extremely rigid lattice structure of diamond, generating new dislocations or moving existing dislocations in diamond by applying mechanical stress at ambient temperature is very difficult. Analysis of portions of diamonds deformed under bending stress at elevated temperature has shown that diamond deforms plastically under suitable conditions and that its primary slip systems are on the ﹛111﹜ planes. Plastic deformation in diamond is more commonly observed during the high temperature - high pressure sintering process used to make diamond compacts. The pressure and temperature conditions in the sintering presses are sufficiently high that many diamond grains in the sintered compact show deformed microtructures.In this report commercially available polycrystalline diamond discs for rock cutting applications were analyzed to study the deformation substructures in the diamond grains using transmission electron microscopy. An individual diamond particle can be plastically deformed in a high pressure apparatus at high temperature, but it is nearly impossible to prepare such a particle for TEM observation, since any medium in which the diamond is mounted wears away faster than the diamond during ion milling and the diamond is lost.

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