Critical current densities in bulk Chevrel-phase samples

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Abstract
Magnetisation measurements have been performed on bulk Chevrel-phase lead and tin molybdenum sulphides prepared under different conditions in order to study their critical current density Jc as a function of applied magnetic field and temperature. The influence on Jc of the grain size, of neutron irradiation and of doping the compound with inclusions or small insulating particles is discussed. The best result, Jc>or=108 A m-2 at 14 T and 4.2K, was achieved on a hot-pressed PbMo6S8 specimen having neutron-induced defects. The pinning force Fp as a function of reduced field b=H/Hc2 does not really obey any scaling law in these compounds due to possible inhomogeneities. However, the way to define the upper critical field Hc2 turns out to be important, since its extrapolation from the Jc(H) curves can restore, in the best cases, the scaling of Fp(b).