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The Ohio State University

Department of Materials Science and Engineering


Overview of operations at CSMM

Work in the Center for Superconducting and Magnetic Materials (CSMM) involves both fundamental as well as applied science. The focus is on superconducting materials, including their formation and structure as well as their magnetic and electrical properties. CSMM has research programs in various aspects of superconducting materials, including MgB2, Nb3Sn, and YBCO. Phase formation, reactions, diffusion, and microstructure are studied in MgB2 and Nb3Sn, as well as transport, magnetic, and flux pinning. Programs to increase upper critical fields and irreversibility fields are ongoing in these materials. YBCO studies are made in the area of transport and external field loss, as well as thermal diffusion, quench propagation, and flux pinning. Studies of Nb3Sn conductor and cable are also underway, for conductors intended for future high energy physics accelerators. Other interests have included melt-quench processing of Nb3Al superconducting wires, proximity effect S-N-S coupling, and the development of Nb-Ti-Ta alloys. Experimental facilities include ready access to the Campus Electron Optics Facility (CEOF), as well as the deparments XRD, DSC, TGA, and XRF facilities. Within CSMM itself, extensive cryogenic, electrical transport, and magnetic measurement facilities are in use.

Part of the Center for Superconducting and Magnetic Materials (CSMM) is the Superconducting Technology Center (SuTC). This center has the aim of encouraging the development of superconducting technology with local (Ohio) and other companies for the development of local high technology industries. As part of the efforts of this center, larger scale testing facilities are available. Conductor development, persistent joint development, and superconducting magnets for Magnetic Resonance Imaging and other specialty applications are being co-developed with local industry.

CSMM has ongoing interactions with many university and national laboratories, both here and abroad, as well as with a number of industrial partners. Our research has been funded by various organizations, including the US Department of Energy, Division of High Energy Physics, NASA, the Navy, AFOSR, NIH, NRC, and private industry.

Fundamental and Applied Materials Science

Some of the materials science topics that are found in the solution to problems of applied superconductivity are:

  • Phase Diagrams and Transformations (materials formation, precipitate formation).
  • Chemical Diffusion (materials formation, stabilizer and/or superconductor degradation), Heat diffusion (electromagnetic stability).
  • Mechanical alloying, and other materials fabrication techniques.
  • Strength of materials (Lorentz forces).
  • Resistivity: solid solution alloying, both magnetic and non-magnetic.
  • Grain boundary effects (Weak link problems, GB pinning).
  • The influence of materials properties (defects) on Josephson junctions.
  • Diffusion of macroscopic filamentary elements during reaction HT of Nb3Sn
  • Growth of mechanical interconnects (bridges) during Bi:based material HT
  • The influence of surface layers (especially RT oxidation of various plated and unplated surfaces) on surface resistance.
  • The influence of fabrication processes on grain alignment and properties in Bi-based materials.
  • Comparison of flux pinning due to materials defects in HTSC conductors.
  • The influence of a variety of strand and superconductor properties on the AC loss and magnetization characteristics of superconductor strands.