Recent advances in practical superconductors

Conference · Mon Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:6652859

Larbalestier, D C

A review is made of significant recent advances in NbTi and Nb[sub 3]Sn composite superconductors. There have been major (50--100%) improvements in the critical current densities of the NbTi and Nb[sub 3]Sn conductors in the lasts two to three years, as well as in our scientific understanding of the factors controlling the current density. Very high current densities are being obtained in filaments of < 5 [mu]m dia and ultra fine (<< 1 [mu]m) filaments of NbTi have been produced. Great improvements have also been made in microstructural characterizations: advanced microstructural analyses using techniques such as transmission electron and scanning Auger microscopy are giving us good information about the microstructure of real, high J[sub c] conductors. Studies of the transport current resistive transition show that the transition index n (V [proportional to] I[sup n]) can be very useful as a diagnostic for the appearance of extrinsic limits (such as sausaging and other filament on-uniformities) which obscure the intrinsic fluxoid-pinning center interaction which ultimately governs the critical current.

• Research Organization: Wisconsin Univ., Madison, WI (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-80ER52056
• OSTI ID: 6652859
• Report Number(s): CONF-850920-13; ON: DE93009010
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360107 -- Metals &amp; Alloys-- Superconducting Properties-- (1992-)
665410* -- Superconductivity-- (1992-)
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ALLOYS
CRITICAL CURRENT
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
CURRENT DENSITY
CURRENTS
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MICROSTRUCTURE
MODIFICATIONS
NIOBIUM ALLOYS
NIOBIUM BASE ALLOYS
SUPERCONDUCTORS
TIN ALLOYS
TITANIUM ALLOYS