Understanding the nature of grain boundaries is a prerequisite for fabricating high-performance superconducting bulks and wires. For iron-based superconductors [e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe recent realisations of hydrogen doped LnFeAsO (Ln = Nd and Sm) superconducting epitaxial thin films call for further investigation of their structural and electrical transport properties. Here, we report on the microstructure of a NdFeAs(O,H) epitaxial thin film and its temperature, field, and orientation dependencies of the resistivity and the critical current density J. The superconducting transition temperature T is comparable to NdFeAs(O,F).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe discovery of iron-based superconductors paved the way for advanced possible applications, mostly in high magnetic fields, but also in electronics. Among superconductive devices, nanowire detectors have raised a large interest in recent years, due to their ability to detect a single photon in the visible and infrared (IR) spectral region. Although not yet optimal for single-photon detection, iron-based superconducting nanowire detectors would bring clear advantages due to their high operating temperature, also possibly profiting of other peculiar material properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFe-based superconductors present a large variety of compounds whose physical properties strongly depend on the crystal structure and chemical composition. Among them, the so-called 1111 compounds show the highest critical temperature in the bulk form. Here we demonstrate the realization of excellent superconducting properties in NdFeAs(O F ).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHigh temperature (high-T) superconductors like cuprates have superior critical current properties in magnetic fields over other superconductors. However, superconducting wires for high-field-magnet applications are still dominated by low-T NbSn due probably to cost and processing issues. The recent discovery of a second class of high-T materials, Fe-based superconductors, may provide another option for high-field-magnet wires.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Hall effect is a powerful tool for investigating carrier type and density. For single-band materials, the Hall coefficient is traditionally expressed simply by , where e is the charge of the carrier, and n is the concentration. However, it is well known that in the critical region near a quantum phase transition, as it was demonstrated for cuprates and heavy fermions, the Hall coefficient exhibits strong temperature and doping dependencies, which can not be described by such a simple expression, and the interpretation of the Hall coefficient for Fe-based superconductors is also problematic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn general, the critical current density, Jc, of type II superconductors and its anisotropy with respect to magnetic field orientation is determined by intrinsic and extrinsic properties. The Fe-based superconductors of the '122' family with their moderate electronic anisotropies and high yet accessible critical fields (Hc2 and Hirr) are a good model system to study this interplay. In this paper, we explore the vortex matter of optimally Co-doped BaFe2As2 thin films with extended planar and c-axis correlated defects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe recently discovered oxypnictide superconductor SmFeAs(O,F) is the most attractive material among the Fe-based superconductors due to its highest transition temperature of 56 K and potential for high-field performance. In order to exploit this new material for superconducting applications, the knowledge and understanding of its electro-magnetic properties are needed. Recent success in fabricating epitaxial SmFeAs(O,F) thin films opens a great opportunity to explore their transport properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSingle-crystal superconductors of the general formula (LRE)-Ba-Cu-O (light rare earth, LRE = Nd, Sm, Eu and Gd) have considerable potential for engineering applications because of their ability to trap magnetic fields significantly higher than those achievable with permanent magnets. But the lack of a process by which these materials can be fabricated reliably and economically in the form of large single grains has severely hindered their development. We report a practical processing method for the fabrication in air of single-crystal (RE)BCO.
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