Progress on the crystal growth and vortex dynamics of ironbased superconductors

Iron -based superconductors usually possess high upper -critical fields, small anisotropy, and large critical current density; therefore, they have potential applications in ultra -high field magnets, controllable fusion devices, and accelerators for high-energy particles. Investigation of vortex dynamics of superconductors can promote understanding of the physics of vortex matters and provide considerable technical support for fabricating high-performance superconducting materials. This paper first reviews several methods, such as melting, flux, chemical vapor transport, and hydrothermal methods, for fabricating single crystals of iron -based superconductors. In addition, the research development on the vortex lattice structures, flux pinning, and vortex dynamics of iron -based superconductors are reported.