The Promise of MgB2 Paul M. Grant Science Fellow Electric Power Research Institute Palo Alto, California USA

Nature, 1 March 2001 How did we ever miss it!

Maybe It Wasn’t Missed! ? 39 32

Sleepless in Seattle 12 March 2001 Famous Old Guy

Physics story is pretty much over Physics of MgB2 Strong B isotope effect Distinct Mg-B optical phonon branch Tunneling suggests s-wave gap Semimetallic Band Structure TC predicted by McMillan/Eliashberg strong e-p coupling theory Is MgB2 a low or high TC superconductor? Physics story is pretty much over

Mg-infused Boron fiber “wire” MgB2: JC vs H Mg-infused Boron fiber “wire” Ames Group ArXiv:cond-mat/0102289 V2 17 Feb 2001 25 6000 A/cm2 1.0 Even though MgB2 is hexagonal, little evidence of weak link behavior! 10 30 20 15 Data taken from Ames Group work published on cond-mat on “wires” made from Mg infusion of B fibers Note that Jc, H line for 25 K line is likely below Caplin’s Imperial Group’s “creep” limit for “pure” MgB2.

Nature, 31 May 2001 4.2 K 25 K JC @ 1 T (A/cm2) 150,000 35,000

Geneva 1

Geneva 2

Madison, 18 July 2001 JC @ 1 T (A/cm2) Group 4.2 K 25 K Geneva 250,000 100,000 Wollengong 59,000 Karlsruhe 37,000 Grasso (10 m!) 50,000 Ames 500,000! (200,000?)

Wollengong 5

MgB2 Wire: Cost Issues Assumptions MgB2 Wire C/P JC = 100,000 A/cm2 (25 K, 1 T) IC = 2000 A/wire (Area = 2 mm2) Non-MgB2 Materials C/P = 0.11 $/kAm (from NbTi addenda) Mg Spot = 0.003 $/gm (e.g., Ag = 0.14 $/gm) Boron Spot = 0.004 $/gm (as borax ore) Boron Extraction = 0.01 $/gm MgB2 Reaction = 0.01 $/gm (sinter & heat treat) MgB2 Wire C/P 0.16 $/kAm @ 25 K, 1 T !!! Wire almost too cheap to “kiloAmp” meter!

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