Magnetization measurements on Li2Pd3B superconductor

Abstract

Magnetization in dc magnetic fields and at different temperatures has been measured on the antiperovskite Li2Pd3B with a cubic structure composed of distorted Pd6B octahedrons. This material was recently found to exhibit superconductivity at 7–8K. The critical fields Hc1(0) and Hc2(0) are determined to be 135Oe and 4T, respectively. Critical current density, scaling of the pinning force within the Kramer model, and irreversibility field data are presented. Several superconductivity parameters were deduced: Coherence length ξ=9.1nm, penetration depth λ=194nm, and Ginzburg–Landau parameter κ=21. The material resembles other boride superconductors from the investigated points of view.