Microstructural and electrical characterization of Ti and Mg doped Cu-clad MgB2 superconducting wires

Abstract

The recent studies on Ti doping effect on the critical current density (Jc) of MgB2 composite superconductors prepared under ambient pressure has shown an important enhancement at 20 K. In the present work, we have fabricated Ti and Mg doped superconducting MgB2 wires by packing reacted MgB2 and Ti or Mg powders together inside Cu tubes with a diameter of 6 mm. The tubes were then cold worked by rolling or drawing to smaller diameters. The prepared Cu-clad Ti and Mg added MgB 2 superconducting wires were annealed at various temperatures to enhance the grain connectivity of the MgB2 bulk materials. The effect of the sintering time has been investigated for high performance characteristics of superconducting Cu-clad Ti and Mg added MgB2 wires. The microstructural evaluation of the superconducting wires has been carried out using XRD and SEM equipped with EDX analysis system. The interfacial properties between Cu sheath and superconducting core was characterized using SEM-EDX. Furthermore, the influence of the presence of Ti and Mg on Tc has been investigated to understand the structural and electronic properties of superconducting Ti and Mg doped MgB2 wires.