Study of TaB2 and SiC additions on the properties of MgB2 superconducting bulks

This paper describes the synthesis and modification of MgB2 bulk samples to produce better transport superconducting materials. The methodology uses a mixture of MgB2 with another diboride, TaB2, which has the same C32 hexagonal structure as MgB2. The simultaneous addition of TaB2 and SiC, which contributes carbon doping, is also investigated. As an important result, the critical current densities (J(c)) were enhanced at low magnetic fields (0-2 T) when TaB2 alone was added. In addition, J(c) was enhanced in the entire range of the measured applied magnetic fields when TaB2 was simultaneously added with SiC. Some explanations for this Jc enhancement are presented.