Article
Article
DISCLAIMER: This article is being kept online for historical purposes. Though accurate at last review, it is no longer being updated. The page may contain broken links or outdated information.
Magnesium diboride superconductors
Article By:
Canfield, Paul C. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ames Laboratory, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
Last reviewed:2003
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.YB030520
Magnesium diboride, MgB2, superconducts below a critical temperature of 39 K (−389°F). It is a simple binary compound made of two of the more abundant elements in the Earth's crust. Although the compound has been known for decades, superconductivity in MgB2 was discovered only in 2001. Since then, MgB2 has become one of the most promising superconducting materials because of its high critical temperature, low normal-state resistivity, and relatively high critical field and critical current density, which can be further increased by the addition of impurities.
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
