Synthesized and structurally characterized in 1953, its superconductivity at 39 K was discovered in 2001 by Jun Akimitsu's group — the highest Tc among conventional phonon-mediated superconductors.
It possesses two distinct superconducting energy gaps (7.1 meV on boron σ-bonds and 2.2 meV on π-bonds) with different coherence lengths (13 nm and 51 nm), giving rise to 'type-1.5' vortex clustering.
Drawn into wire via the powder-in-tube process, MgB2 operates at 20–25 K in liquid-helium-free cryocooled open MRI magnets and 20,000-ampere CERN LHC power-transmission test cables.