Micro X-Ray Diffraction Study of Polycrystalline MgB 2 Wire and Evaluation of Carbon Doping Effect Via Low-Temperature Sintering

Simple and efficient characterization of local structural states in materials is desirable for evaluating and tailoring the material performance. Herein, we have focused on micro X-ray diffraction and conducted a local structure characterization for superconducting wires having MgB₂ polycrystalline cores. The critical current properties of the superconducting materials were controlled and improved by a low-temperature sintering approach with malic acid doping as a carbon source. The transport performance depending on the sintering and doping effects was found to be closely associated with the characterized properties of the local structures. The evaluation method will therefore be useful to develop composite conductors.