CVD routes to MgB2 conductors

Processing methods are described for the development of magnesium diboride wire using the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to produce long lengths of suitably doped starting boron fiber. It is found that titanium can be co-deposited with the boron to make long lengths of doped fiber that contain both TiB and TiB2. When this fiber is reacted in Mg vapor to transform boron into MgB2, the resulting conductor has a superconducting critical current density of about 5 x 10(6) A/cm(2) at 5 K and self-field. The critical current density at 25 K and 1 T is 10,000 A/cm(2). Using optical methods to define grain boundaries and energy dispersive X-rays to determine Ti and Mg concentration, these samples show a fine dispersion of Ti through out the grains and no conspicuous precipitation of TiB2 on the MgB2 grain boundaries. This is to be contrasted with the precipitation of TiB, on MgB, grain boundaries observed for samples prepared by solid state reaction of Ti, Mg, and B powders. Introducing Ti impurities into the B during the CVD deposition of the B gives a distribution of TiB2 in the resulting MgB2 different from solid state reaction of powders. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.