A new approach to fabricate superconducting NbTi alloys
Tayebeh Mousavi and collagues in the Materials Department have reported in Superconductor Science and Technology successful fabrication of superconducting Nb(Ti) alloy samples by ball-milling pure Nb and Ti powders at room temperature, a simple processing route compared to the thermomechanical process used in industry. Superconducting properties have been measured in consolidated bulk samples of the milled product with Jc and Bc2 values comparable with those of conventionally processed NbTi wires. A nanometre-scale layered microstructure with some similarities to those achieved in Nb–Ti wires has been shown to arise naturally from the intrinsic processes involved in mechanical alloying, and strong pinning has been demonstrated in the consolidated Nb(Ti) material.
