Niobium–germanium
Appearance
Niobium-germanium (Nb3Ge) is a metallic chemical compound of niobium (Nb) and germanium (Ge). It has A15 phase structure.
It is a superconductor with a critical temperature of 23.2 kelvin (K).
Sputtered films have been reported to have an upper critical field of 37 teslas at 4.2 K.[1]
History
Nb3Ge was discovered to be a superconductor in 1973 [2] and for 13 years (until the discovery in 1986 of the cuprate superconductors) it held the record as having the highest critical temperature.[3]
It has not been as widely used for superconductive applications as niobium-tin or niobium-titanium.
Related alloys
Niobium-germanium-aluminium has an upper critical field of about 10 Tesla.[4]
References
- ^ Oya, Gin-ichiro; E. J. Saur (1979). "Preparation of Nb3Ge films by chemical transport reaction and their critical properties" (PDF). Journal of Low Temperature Physics. 34 (5–6): 569–583. Bibcode:1979JLTP...34..569O. doi:10.1007/BF00114941.
- ^ "Physics Today". American Institute of Physics. October 1973.
- ^ "Superconducting devices". TheFreeDictionary. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
- ^ Sinha, P. K. (1987). Electromagnetic Suspension: Dynamics & Control. The Institution of Engineering and Technology. p. 290. ISBN 978-0-86341-063-5.