Possibilities of MgB2/Cu Wires Fabricated by the in-situ Reaction Technique

Abstract

The superconducting properties of copper-sheathed MgB2 wires fabricated by conventional powder-in-tube techniques and the in-situ reaction procedure are analysed. The influence of the processing conditions and initial (1+x)Mg + 2B (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2) proportions of the precursors on the critical current values of the wires have been studied. In particular, the limits of the available temperatures and times for heat treatments imposed by the chemical reaction between Mg and Cu, and their effect on the superconducting properties of the wires, are discussed. The analysis includes the study of the sample microstructure and phase composition as well as of the critical current temperature and field dependences. The wires show high thermal stability during direct transport measurements and carry a critical current density of 1.3x109 A/m2 at 15 K in the self-field for optimised processing conditions.