Flux-pinning behaviors and mechanism according to dopant level in (Fe, Ti) particle-doped $$\text {MgB}_2$$ MgB 2 superconductor

Abstract

Abstract We have studied flux-pinning effects of $$\text {MgB}_2$$ MgB 2 superconductor by doping (Fe, Ti) particles of which radius is 163 nm on average. 5 wt.% (Fe, Ti) doped $$\text {MgB}_2$$ MgB 2 among the specimens showed the best field dependence of magnetization and 25 wt.% one did the worst at 5 K. The difference of field dependence of magnetization of the two specimens increased as temperature increased. Here we show experimental results of (Fe, Ti) particle-doped $$\text {MgB}_2$$ MgB 2 specimens according to dopant level and the causes of the behaviors. Flux-pinning effect of volume defects-doped superconductor was modeled in ideal state and relative equations were derived. During the study, we had to divide M-H curve of volume defect-dominating superconductor as three discreet regions for analyzing flux-pinning effects, which are diamagnetic increase region after $$\text {H}_{c1}$$ H c 1 , $$\Delta \text {H}=\Delta \text {B}$$ Δ H = Δ B region, and diamagnetic decrease region. As a result, flux-pinning effects of volume defects decreased as dopant level increased over the optimal dopant level, which was caused by decrease of flux-pinning limit of a volume defect. And similar behaviors are obtained as dopant level decreased below the optimal dopant level, which was caused by the decreased number of volume defects. Comparing the model with experimental results, deviations increased as dopant level increased over the optimal dopant level, whereas the two was well matched on less dopant level. The behavior is considered to be caused by the segregation of the volume defects. On the other hand, the cause that diamagnetic properties of over-doped $$\text {MgB}_2$$ MgB 2 specimens dramatically decreased as temperature increased was the double decreases of flux-pinning limit of a volume defect and the segregation effect, which are caused by over-doping and temperature increase.