With the discovery of its superconducting properties in 2001, MgB2 is the latest superconductor for use in large scale applications such as superconducting magnets.udCompared to other metallic superconductors like Nb-Ti and Nb3Sn, it has theudadvantage of a higher Tc (40 K), which enables magnets to operate at higher temperatures (» 20 K) and cuts down cooling costs. Compared to high-Tc conductors such as YBa2Cu3Ox and Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox on the other hand, it is a relatively simple compound and therefore easier to synthesise. Together with the abundance of magnesium and boron, this causes its presently estimated cost-to-performance ratio to be a factor of » 100 lower than that of high-Tc conductors.
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