High-performance dense MgB2 superconducting wire fabricated from mechanically milled powder

Abstract

Owing to the relatively high critical temperature and the low manufacturing cost, MgB2 superconducting wires are promising for liquid helium-free superconducting applications. Today, commercially available MgB2 wires are manufactured by either an in situ or ex situ powder-in-tube process, the in situ process being more effective to obtain high critical current density. In in situ-processed wires, however, the critical current density is seriously suppressed by the high porosity of MgB2 filaments. To resolve this problem, we propose an innovative method of using precursor powder prepared by mechanical milling of magnesium, boron, and coronene powders. This precursor powder has a metal–matrix–composite structure, in which boron particles are dispersed in a magnesium matrix. The plastic deformation of the precursor powder through wire processing leads to compact packing, and a dense MgB2 filament is generated after heat treatment. As a result, the limitation of critical current density that occurs for the typical in situ process is overcome, and the practical critical current density of 103 A mm−2 is obtained at 10 K and 6.1 T, at 15 K and 4.8 T, and at 20 K and 3.3 T.