SBIR/STTR Phase I: Electro-Explosion of Composite Metal Wire for the Production of Nanometer-Scale Alloy Powder

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This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop an innovative process for the fabrication of nanometer-scale alloy powders. The innovation will result from the combination of state-of-the-art composite wire manufacturing techniques with recently developed powder fabrication technology. The project will focus on the production of nanometer-scale Nb-Al (Niobium-Aluminum) powders for use in the fabrication of improved Nb3Al superconducting wire. A Nb-Al composite jelly-roll wire will be fabricated, this wire will be converted to nanometer-scale Nb-Al solid solution powder by an electro-explosion process, and this powder will be used to fabricate monofilament wire by a powder-in-tube process. Samples of the wire will be heat treated to form Nb3Al and the resulting superconducting properties will be measured. The commercial applications will be in magnets for high energy physics and fusion machines, high frequency NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) units, and, potentially, cryo-cooled MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) units. This process could be extended to the fabrication of nanometer-scale aluminide powders, these materials could be used as in the fabrication of structural parts for use in high temperature environments encountered in aerospace applications (e.g., turbines), and in the automotive industry (e.g., heat treatment furnaces). Nanometer-scale refractory alloy powders could be used to coat parts in the corrosive environments found in the chemical industry.