The Effect of High-energy Ball Milling on the Microstructure and Properties of Ti-doped MgB2 Bulks and Wires

MgB2 bulks were prepared by high-energy ball milling of Mg, B and Ti powders at ambient temperatures. The mixed powders were ball-milled for 0-10 h using a ball-to-powder mass ratio of 10 and sintered at 750 °C for 2 h. The phase and microstructure of MgB2 were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning electron microscope (SEM). XRD results reveal the appearance of a small amount of MgO impurity, and the relative percentage composition of MgO phase is gradually increased with prolonged the milling time. It proved that the sample milled 5 h has the best homogeneity in grain size. The milled 5 h powders were further processed to wires. The wire samples were fabricated by the in-situ powder-in-tube (PIT) method. The mechanical properties were analyzed by stress-strain measurements at room temperature and the superconducting behaviors are investigated by electrical tests at 4.2 K. The critical engineering current Ic reaches above 330 A (Jce exceeding 2.2×104 A/cm2) at 4.2 K and 2 T.