High performance bulk MgB2 obtained by the Reactive Mg-Liquid Infiltration process: New advancements and solutions

MgB₂ superconductors are one of the most attractive solutions for High Temperature Superconducting applications. The benefit of a very low grain boundary barrier to the supercurrents allows easier manufacturing technologies with respect to the other High Temperature Superconductors. Among the various manufacturing alternatives for MgB₂, the “in situ” process based on the Reactive Liquid Infiltration of Mg melt in the B powders (Mg-RLI) gives the higher performances in term of material density and, consequently, in term of high critical current density. In the R&D labs of EDISON SpA, Italy, we have invented this technology and in these years we have developed several superconducting manufacts to demonstrate the flexibility and the relative easiness of the technology. The outstanding achievements will be reviewed, with particular discussion of the preparative issues and the more recent results on the superconducting quality of the manufacts. The discussion will cover the two different kinds of MgB₂ superconducting manufacts that are almost ready to be produced with the Mg-RLI technology: the bulks and the inserts on metallic substrates. All well have specific applications and present specific superconducting characteristics.