In-field Jc improvement by oxygen-free pyrene gas diffusion into highly dense MgB2 superconductor

Abstract

Oxygen-free pyrene gas as a carbon (C) dopant was delinked and incorporated into highly dense MgB2 structure via a gas phase diffusion method. The technique offers the advantages that molecular C is homogeneously distributed into MgB2 and substituted at the boron sites without any severe deterioration of grain connectivity. The C substitution causes a significant shrinkage of the a-lattice parameter and an increase in the lattice strain, resulting in high disorder. The introduction of structural disorder as a result of C doping leads to a considerable enhancement of the in-field critical current density (J(c)) and upper critical field.