arXiv subjects

Zhaoshun Gao

Publications and source records attributed to Zhaoshun Gao.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2010

Heat treatment effects on the superconducting properties of Ag-doped SrKFeAs compound

The superconducting properties of polycrystalline Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 were strongly influenced by Ag doping (Supercond. Sci. Technol. 23 (2010) 025027). Ag addition is mainly dominated by silver diffusing, so the annealing process is one of the essential factors to achieve high quality Ag doped Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2. In this paper, the optimal annealing conditions were studied for Ag doped Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 bulks prepared by a one-step solid reaction method. It is found that the annealing temperature has a strong influence on the superconducting properties, especially on the critical current density Jc. As a result, higher heat treatment temperature (~900C) is helpful in diffusing Ag and reducing the impurity phase gathered together to improve the grain connectivity. In contrast, low-temperature sintering is counterproductive for Ag doped samples. These results clearly suggest that annealing at ~900C is necessary for obtaining high Jc Ag-doped samples.

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arXiv2010

Low-temperature synthesis of SmO0.8F0.2FeAs superconductor with Tc = 56.1K

We report a systematic study on the effect of sintering temperature on the structural and superconducting properties of nominal SmO0.8F0.2FeAs fabricated by simple one-step solid state reaction method. A detailed correlation between the sintering temperature, structure, onset transition temperature (Tc) and critical current density (Jc) has been found in all samples of each batch. Most importantly, samples sintered at a low temperature clearly shows high Tc, for example the Tc of the samples sintered at 850C is even above 53 K, and the samples prepared at 1000C display the highest Tc of 56.1 K reported so far. Furthermore, the samples sintered at 1000C also show the highest RRR and the lowest resistivity(57K), indicating the low impurity scattering and enhanced carrier density. However, the maximum Jc of 10510 A/cm^2 at 5 K in self field was achieved in the samples sintered at 1100oC. The dependence of Tc on a-axis lattice constant indicates that the sintering temperature has strong influence on the effective substitution level of F for O. This result suggests that annealing at a temperature of ~1000C seems much better for obtaining high quality 1111 phase oxypnictides, compared to commonly used temperatures of around 1200C.

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arXiv2010

Low-temperature synthesis of SmFeAsO0.7F0.3 wires with high transport critical current density

Ag-sheathed SmFeAsO0.7F0.3 (Sm-1111) superconducting wires were prepared by a one-step solid state reaction at temperatures as low as 850~900C, instead of commonly used temperatures of 1150~1250C. The X-ray diffraction pattern of the as-sintered samples is well indexed on the basis of tetragonal ZrCuSiAs-type structure. We characterized transport critical current density Jc of the SmFeAsO0.7F0.3 wires in increasing and subsequently decreasing fields, by a resistive four-probe method. A transport Jc as high as ~1300 A/cm^2 at 4.2 K and self field has been observed for the first time in Sm-1111 type polycrystalline superconductors. The Jc also shows a rapid depression in small applied fields as well as a magnetic-history dependence, indicating weak-linked grain boundaries. The low-temperature synthesis method can be very beneficial to fabricating the RE-1111 iron oxynictides in a convenient and safe way.

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arXiv2010

Influence of Pb addition on the superconducting properties of polycrystalline Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2

Polycrystalline Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 samples with various Pb additions (0-20 wt%) were prepared using a one-step solid state reaction. X-ray diffraction analysis shows no evidence for chemical reaction between the Pb and the FeAs-based superconductor. However, the presence of the Pb can affect the microstructure and superconducting properties of the final products. The critical transition temperature Tc indicates no degradation up to 20 wt% Pb addition, and dramatic improvements of magnetic Jc and irreversibility field Hirr were observed for appropriate Pb concentration. Transport critical current property of pure and Pb-added Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 tapes was also measured by a four-probe technique, and a remarkable enhancement of Jc at low fields was detected for the Pb added tapes.

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arXiv2010

Development of Doped MgB2 Wires and Tapes for Practical Applications

A review of current developments in the study of chemical doping effect on the superconducting properties of MgB2 wires and tapes is presented, based on the known literature data and our own results. The critical current density of MgB2 can be improved through various kinds of dopants. Among these dopants, doping with carbon-containing materials seems to be the most effective way to improve the Jc performance. The doping effect of carbon in different forms and carbon-based compounds such as SiC, nano-C, metal carbides, as well as aromatic hydrocarbon and carbohydrate on the Jc-B characteristics of MgB2 was discussed in detail. The C can be incorporated into the MgB2 crystal lattice by replacing boron, and thus Bc2 is significantly enhanced due to selective tuning of impurity scattering of two bands in the two-band MgB2. Besides the efforts of increasing Bc2 by carbon doping, the fine grain size and nano-size inclusions caused by doping would create many flux pinning centres improving the Jc-B property of MgB2. Based on these considerations, we suggested some principles for the selection of dopants.

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arXiv2009

The role of silver addition on the structural and superconducting properties of polycrystalline Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2

The effect of Ag addition (0-20 wt%) on polycrystalline Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 superconductor has been investigated. It is found that the critical transition temperature Tc was not depressed, and the irreversibility field Hirr and hysteresis magnetization were significantly enhanced upon Ag addition. Characterization study reveals that larger grains are observed in the Ag-added samples. Moreover, the formation of glassy phase as well as amorphous layer, which are present in almost all the grain edges and boundaries in pure samples, are suppressed by Ag addition. The improvement of superconducting properties in Ag-added samples may originate from the enlargement of grains as well as better connections between grains

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arXiv2009

Large transport critical currents of powder-in-tube Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2/Ag superconducting wires and tapes

We report significant transport critical currents firstly achieved in Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 wires and tapes with a Tc = 34 K, which were fabricated through an in-situ powder-in-tube process. Silver was used as a chemical addition as well as a sheath material. Transport measurements were performed by a standard four-probe resistive method. All the wire and tape samples have shown transport properties. Critical current density Jc was enhanced upon silver addition, and at 4.2 K, a best Jc of ~1200 A/cm^2 (Ic = 9 A) was achieved for 20 % silver added tapes, which is the highest in iron-based wires and tapes so far. The Jc is almost field independent between 1 T and 10 T, exhibiting a strong vortex pinning. Such a high transport critical current density is attributed to the absence of reaction layer between the silver sheath and superconducting core, as well as an improved connectivity between grains. We also identify a weak-link behavior from the creep drop of Jc at low fields and a hysteretic phenomenon. Finally, we found that compared to Fe, Ta and Nb tubes, Ag was the best sheath material for the fabrication of high-performance 122 type pnictide wires and tapes.

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arXiv2009

Superconductivity in Ir-doped LaFe1-xIrxAsO

We report the realization of superconductivity by 5d element Ir doping in LaFeAsO, a prototype parent compound of high-temperature iron based superconductors. X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that the material has formed the ZrCuSiAs-type structure with a space group P4/nmm. The systematic evolution of the lattice constants demonstrated that the Fe ions were successfully replaced by the Ir. Both electrical resistance and magnetization measurements show superconductivity up to 11 K in LaFe1-xIrxAsO. The superconducting transitions at different magnetic fields were also measured yielding a slope of -dHc2/dT = 6.7 T / K near Tc, and the upper critical field at zero K is found to be about 55 T. This is the first example of bulk superconductivity induced by replacing the Fe sites with higher d-orbital electrons in FeAs-1111 family, which should add more ingredients to the underlying physics of the iron-based superconductors.

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arXiv2009

Fabrication and characterization of iron pnictide wires and bulk materials through the powder-in-tube method

The recent discovery of superconductivity in the iron based superconductors with very high upper critical fields presents a new possibility for practical applications, but fabricating fine-wire is a challenge because of mechanically hard and brittle powders and the toxicity and volatility of arsenic. In this paper, we report the synthesis and the physical characterization of iron pnictide wires and bulks prepared by the powder-in-tube method (PIT). A new class of high-Tc iron pnictide composite wires, such as LaFeAsO1-xFx, SmFeAsO1-xFx and Sr1-xKxFeAs, has been fabricated by the in situ PIT technique using Fe, Ta and Nb tubes. Microscopy and x-ray analysis show that the superconducting core is continuous, and retains phase composition after wire drawing and heat treatment. Furthermore, the wires exhibit a very weak Jc-field dependence behavior even at high temperatures. The upper critical field Hc2(0) value can exceed 100 T, surpassing those of MgB2 and all the low temperature superconductors and indicating a strong potential for applications requiring very high field. These results demonstrate the feasibility of producing superconducting pnictide composite wire. We also applied the one step PIT method to synthesize the iron-based bulks, due to its convenience and safety. In fact, by using this technique, we have successfully discovered superconductivity at 35 K and 15 K in Eu0.7Na0.3Fe2As2 and SmCoFeAsO compounds, respectively. These clearly suggest that the one-step PIT technique is unique and versatile and hence can be tailored easily for other rare earth derivatives of novel iron-based superconductors.

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arXiv2009

Superconductivity in SmFe1-xMxAsO (M = Co, Rh, Ir)

In this paper we report the comparative study of superconductivity by 3d (Co), 4d (Rh), 5d (Ir) element doping in SmFeAsO. X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that the material has formed the ZrCuSiAs-type structure with a space group P4/nmm. It is found that the antiferromagnetic spin-density-wave (SDW) order in the parent compounds is rapidly suppressed by Co, Rh, and Ir doping, and superconductivity emerges. Both electrical resistance and magnetization measurements show superconductivity up to around 10 K in SmFe1-xMxAsO (M = Co, Rh, Ir). Co, Rh and Ir locate in the same column in the periodic table of elements but have different electronic band structure, so comparative study would add more ingredients to the underlying physics of the iron-based superconductors.

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arXiv2009

Superconductivity induced by doping Ru in SrFe2-xRuxAs2

Using one-step solid state reaction method, we have successfully synthesized the superconductor SrFe1-xRuxAs. X-ray diffraction indicates that the material has formed the ThCr2Si2-type structure with a space group I4/mmm. The systematic evolution of the lattice constants demonstrates that the Fe ions are successfully replaced by the Ru. By increasing the doping content of Ru, the spin-density-wave (SDW) transition in the parent compound is suppressed and superconductivity emerges. The maximum superconducting transition temperature is found at 13.5 K with the doping level of x = 0.7. The temperature dependence of DC magnetization confirms superconducting transitions at around 12 K. Our results indicate that similar to non-isoelectronic substitution, isoelectronic substitution contributes to changes in both the carrier concentration and internal pressure, and superconductivity could be induced by isoelectronic substitution.

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arXiv2009

Superconductivity of powder-in-tube Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 wires

Nb-sheathed Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 superconducting wires have been fabricated using the powder-in-tube (PIT) method for the first time and the superconducting properties of the wires have been investigated. The transition temperature (Tc) of the Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 wires is confirmed to be as high as 35.3 K. Most importantly, Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 wires exhibit a very weak Jc-field dependence behavior even the temperature is very close to Tc. The upper critical field Hc2(0) value can exceed 140 T, surpassing those of MgB2 and all the low temperature superconductors. Such high Hc2 and superior Jc-field performance make the 122 phase SrKFeAs wire conductors a powerful competitor potentially useful in very high field applications.

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arXiv2008

Superconductivity at 34.7 K in the iron arsenide Eu0.7Na0.3Fe2As2

EuFe2As2 is a member of the ternary iron arsenide family. Similar to BaFe2As2 and SrFe2As2, EuFe2As2 exhibits a clear anomaly in resistivity near 200 K. It suggests that EuFe2As2 is another promising parent compound in which superconductivity may be realized by appropriate doping. Here we report the discovery of superconductivity in Eu0.7Na0.3Fe2As2 by partial substitution of the europium site with sodium. ThCr2Si2 tetragonal structure, as expected for EuFe2As2, is formed as the main phase for the composition Eu0.7Na0.3Fe2As2. Resistivity measurement reveals a transition temperature as high as 34.7 K in this compound, which is higher than the Tc of Eu0.5K0.5Fe2As2.

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arXiv2008

Structural and critical current properties in polycrystalline SmO1-xFxFeAs

A series of polycrystalline SmO1-xFxFeAs bulks (x=0.15, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4) were prepared by the conventional solid state reaction. Resistivity, susceptibility, magnetic hysteresis, critical current density and microstructure of these samples have been investigated. It is found that critical transition temperature Tc increases steadily with increasing fluorine content, with the highest onset Tc=53 K at x=0.4. On the other hand, the superconductivity seems correlated with lattice constants; that is, Tc rises with the shrinkage of a-axis while resistivity increases with the enlargement of c-axis. A global critical current density of 1.1x10^4 A/cm^2 at 5 K in self field was achieved in the purest sample. A method of characterization of inter-grain current density is proposed. This method gives an inter-grain Jc of 3.6x10^3 A/cm^2 at 5 K in self field, in contrast to the intra-grain Jc of 10^6 A/cm^2. The effect of composition gradients on the inter-grain Jc in SmO1-xFxFeAs is also discussed.

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arXiv2008

Superconductivity in Co-doped SmFeAsO

Here we report the synthesis and basic characterization of SmFe1-xCoxAsO (x=0.10, 0.15). The parent compound SmFeAsO itself is not superconducting but shows an antiferromagnetic order near 150 K, which must be suppressed by doping before superconductivity emerges. With Co-doping in the FeAs planes, antiferromagnetic order is destroyed and superconductivity occurs at 15 K. Similar to LaFe1-xCoxAsO, the SmFe1-xCoxAsO system appears to tolerate considerable disorder in the FeAs planes. This result is important, which indicates difference between cuprare superconductors and the iron-based arsenide ones.

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arXiv2008

Superconductivity of powder-in-tube LaO0.9F0.1FeAs wires

We demonstrate that Fe sheathed LaO0.9F0.1FeAs wires with Ti as a buffer layer were successfully fabricated by the powder-in-tube (PIT) method. Comparing to the common two-step vacuum quartz tube synthesis method, the PIT method is more convenient and safe for synthesizing the novel iron-based layered superconductors. Structural analysis by mean of x-ray diffraction shows that the main phase of LaO0.9F0.1FeAs was obtained by this synthesis method. The transition temperature of the LaO0.9F0.1FeAs wire is around 25 K. The micrograph shows a homogeneous microstructure with a grain size of 1-3 micrometers. The results suggest that the PIT process is promising in preparing high-quality iron-based layered superconductor wires.

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arXiv2008

Hollow carbon spheres as an efficient dopant for enhancing critical current density of MgB2 based tapes

A significant enhancement of Jc and Hirr in MgB2 tapes has been achieved by the in situ powder-in-tube method utilizing hollow carbon spheres (HCS) as dopants. At 4.2 K, the transport Jc for the 850C sintered samples reached 3.1x10^4, and 1.4x10^4 A/cm^2 at 10 and 12 T, respectively, and were better than those of optimal nano-SiC doped tapes. Furthermore, the Hirr for doped sample was raised up to 16.8 T at 10 K due to the carbon substitution effect. The results demonstrate that HCS is one of the most promising dopants besides nano-carbon and SiC for the enhancement of current capacity for MgB2 in high fields.

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arXiv2008

A cheap liquid additive from acetone for strong in-field Jc enhancement in MgB2 conductors

We report on significant flux pinning enhancement in MgB2/Fe tapes that has been easily obtained by a simple and cheap route using acetone as both an efficient ball-milling medium and liquid additive through the in situ method. Results showed that the highly reactive C released from the decomposition of the acetone substituted into B sites, accompanied by the grain refinement effect due to the acetone doping. At 4.2 K, the transport Jc for the 5 wt % acetone doped tapes sintered at 700C reached up to 2.4x10^4 A/cm^2 at 10 T, which is even higher than that of the nano-C added samples heated at 900C.

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