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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
For device applications of a superconducting material, its stability to ambient conditions is an issue of critical concern. The study of the ageing effects of the recently discovered intermetallic compound MgB2 is vital for knowing the degree of usefulness of this material. We report here the study of ageing and fluctuation conductivity behavior in bulk MgB2 pellets and stainless-steel sheathed, in-situ synthesized MgB2 tapes. A possible degradation mechanism is proposed based on ac-magnetic susceptibility and XRD investigations of MgB2 samples exposed to ambient over prolonged durations of time. In addition, the fluctuation induced conductivity behavior is also analyzed based on the observed resistivity (ρ)-vs-T measurements in MgB2 tape samples. This study indicated a three dimensional character of the MgB2 with reasonably good estimates of coherence the length. The scaling of fluctuation induced conductivity enhancement is also investigated from the ρ(H) vs T data obtained for different applied field strengths. These findings support the three-dimensional nature of thermodynamic fluctuations operative in MgB2 in contrast to that prevalent in several other high-temperature superconductors (HTSCs).