Reactivity of sheath materials with Mg/B in MgB2 conductor fabrication

A systematic study on the reactivity of commonly used sheath materials (Ag, Cu, Fe, SS, Ta and Ni) with Mg/B during in situ powder-in-sealed-tube processing of MgB2 superconductor was carried out at different temperatures. Characterization of the samples using XRD, SEM and EDS showed that the heat treatment temperature and type of metal sheath have profound influences on the reactivity. The quantitative data reported here are highly useful for choosing the right sheath material and processing temperature for the fabrication of high quality MgB2 based conductors.