Research Symposium

BIO

Kathleen Ciaccio is a freshman student at FSU pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with a minor in Mathematics. She conducts research under Dr. Eric Hellstrom and Dr. Aixia Xu at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, where she works on growing Bi-2212 superconducting whisker crystals and grain-boundary analysis. Her interests include material science and superconductivity. Kathleen is a member of the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) at FSU and plans to continue her academic journey by obtaining a graduate degree in Materials Chemistry.

Growth of Bi-2212 Superconducting Whisker Crystals

Abstract

Bi-2212 superconductor wires exhibit a very high critical current density and are under intense investigation for very high field magnet applications above 25 T, yet their performance is limited by a lack of knowledge about how supercurrent flows across grain boundaries. Bi-2212 whisker crystals provide a platform for studying different grain boundaries and their effects on supercurrent flow. We conducted detailed work on Bi-2212 whisker growth and critical current characterization of various grain boundaries. We observed that Bi-2212 whiskers were grown in 62% of heat treatments, with long whiskers making up 35%. Either a slight or large curl was found in 50% of heat treatments. Successful whisker sets include long whiskers with minimal or no curl. These findings highlight the sensitivity of Bi-2212 whisker growth and the necessity for further research into the causes of the curling and the results of grain-boundaries testing.

Keywords: Whiskers, Bi-2212, Superconductor