Superconducting joints of reacted monofilament MgB₂ wires sintered by hot uniaxial pressing system

Abstract

Successful superconducting joints of reacted magnesium diboride (MgB2) monofilament wires are reported in this paper. The absence of a reliable method to develop superconducting joints between reacted MgB2 wires presents a major obstacle to the wider adoption of MgB2 as a material for magnet winding. A hot uniaxial pressing (HUP) system was exploited for sintering purposes since it can facilitate the formation of condensed in situ bulk on the wire filament. The wires were manufactured with an extra thick barrier material to protect the filament from damage during HUP sintering. The sintering temperature and pressure of the HUP system were varied to comprehend the best-performing joint. The performance of joints could be improved by depreciating the pores within the intermediate bulk of the joint. To prove this point, joints were cut to study their morphology. However, due to sintering in pressurised conditions, the reaction of the in situ intermediate bulk was not completed. The X-ray diffraction result detected a significant unreacted magnesium phase in the intermediate bulk. This work obtained joints of reacted MgB2 wires which can be considered for industrial MgB2 magnetic resonance imaging magnets fabrication.