Enhanced Jc property in nano-SiC doped thin MgB2/Fe wires by a modified in situ PIT process

A modified in situ PIT process, which included a short time pre-annealing and intermediate drawing step in the conventional in situ PIT process, was employed to fabricate thin round MgB2/Fe wires from MgH2 and B powders. The pores and cracks resulted from the MgH2 decomposition during the pre-annealing were effectively eliminated by the intermediate drawing step, which subsequently increased the core density and Jc property of final heat treated wires. A higher reduction rate after the pre-annealing led to a larger enhancement in Jc within this study. The reproducibility of our new process on the Jc improvement in MgB2 wires was confirmed in two series of wires doped with 5 mol% or 10 mol% nano-SiC particles separately.