No Arabic abstract
The mechanical relaxation spectra of a superconducting and a non-superconducting MgCNi3 samples were measured from liquid nitrogen temperature to room temperature at frequency of kilohertz. There are two internal friction peaks (at 300 K labeled as P1 and 125 K as P2) for the superconducting sample. For the non-superconducting one, the position of P1 shifts to 250 K, while P2 is almost completely depressed. It is found that the peak position of P2 shifts towards higher temperature under higher measuring frequency. The calculated activation energy is 0.13eV. We propose an explanation relating P2 to the carbon atom jumping among the off-center positions. And further we expect that the behaviors of carbon atoms maybe correspond to the normal state crossovers around 150 K and 50 K observed by many other experiments.
We report the magnetotransport properties of thin polycrystalline films of the recently discovered non-oxide perovskite superconductor MgCNi3. CNi3 precursor films were deposited onto sapphire substrates and subsequently exposed to Mg vapor at 700 C. We report transition temperatures (Tc) and critical field values (Hc2) of MgCNi3 films ranging in thickness from 7.5 nm to 100 nm. Films thicker than ~40 nm have a Tc ~ 8 K, and an upper critical field Hc2 ~ 14 T, which are both comparable to that of polycrystalline powders. Hall measurements in the normal state give a carrier density, n =-4.2 x 10^22 cm^-3, that is approximately 4 times that reported for bulk samples.
To understand the role of electron-phonon interaction in superconducting MgCNi$_{3}$ we have performed density functional based linear response calculations of its lattice dynamical properties. A large coupling constant $% lambda $= 1.51 is predicted and contributing phonons are identified as displacements of Ni atoms towards octahedral interstitials of the perovskite lattice. Instabilities found for some vibrational modes emphasize the role of anharmonic effects in resolving experimental controversies.
The crystal structure of boron doped superconducting MgC_{1-x}{11}^B_{x}Ni_{3}, studied by powder neutron diffraction, is reported. The solubility limit of boron is determined to be approximately x=0.16. The unit cell expands from a = 3.81089(2) to 3.81966(2) Angstroms as x increases from x=0 to x=0.155. Boron ({11}^B) doping decreases Tc with increasing x: from 7.09K (x=0) to 6.44K (x=0.155).
We report the structural parameters of superconducting MgCxNi3 (x=0.96, TC=7.3 K) as a function of temperature, from 2 K to 295 K, determined by neutron powder diffraction profile refinement. The compound has the perovskite structure over the whole temperature range, with symmetry Pm3m and a=3.81221(5) A at 295 K: no structural or long range magnetic ordering transitions were observed. The lattice parameter a and the Debye-Waller factors for the individual atoms decrease smoothly with decreasing temperature. There are no unusual changes of the structural parameters near TC.
Polycrystalline NdFeAsO0.88F0.12 superconductors prepared by high pressure (HP) and ambient pressure (AP) method were comparatively studied by magnetization and transport measurements. Upper critical field (Hc2), irreversibility field (Hirr) and the anisotropy parameter were estimated from resistance transition curves. The broadening of transition width was observed, and ascribed to both Hc2 anisotropy and superconductivity inhomogeneity of samples. Magnetic hysteresis loops (MHLs) in low fields were measured to detect the trace of weak-link behavior. The reclosed hysteresis loops in low fields manifest that there are weak-links in both samples. Magnetization critical current density Jcm were derived from MHLs. High-pressure synthesized sample shows higher Jcm. However, by means of direct transport I-V measurements, transport critical current density Jct was very low. The Jct values for two samples are comparable. Large discrepancies between Jcm and Jct also indicate that there are weak-links in both samples. The relative mechanism is discussed in detail.