Effects of drawing and high-pressure sintering on the superconducting properties of (Ba,K)Fe₂As₂powder-in-tube wires

Abstract

The evolution of the superconducting properties of round wires of (Ba,K)Fe2As2 fabricated by the powder-in-tube (PIT) method is systematically studied. After establishing the method to obtain the largest transport critical current density (J c) in round wires using the hot isostatic press technique, we investigated how the transition temperature (T c), J c, and microstructures change at each step of the wire fabrication. Unexpectedly, we find that superconducting properties of the wire core are significantly damaged by the drawing process. Systematic measurements of J c and T c of the core superconductor after each drawing and sintering process clarified the evolution of degradation by the drawing process and recovery by heat treatment.