Integrated production of superconductor insulation for chemical vapor

Abstract

This is a process for fabrication of nickel-oxide insulation on a superconductor. The process utilizes; reacting oxygen-free nickel powder with oxygen-free carbon monoxide generally at 50.degree.-75.degree. C. to produce a nickel carbonyl, separating the nickel carbonyl from reaction by-products and excess reagents by cooling the carbonyl and decanting the nickel carbonyl liquor, and contacting the carbonyl to a surface of a wire containing superconductor or superconductor precursors in an atmosphere containing a controlled amount of oxygen, with the wire at 50.degree.-800.degree. C. to produce nickel suboxide insulation on the wire. The purified nickel carbonyl and oxygen may be alternately (rather than simultaneously) introduced, to deposit a series of metallic nickel films on the wire, each of which metallic films are then oxidized to a nickel suboxide. The superconductor may be a niobium-tin superconductor, and the carbonyl contacted to wire containing unreacted niobium and tin at a wire temperature between 50.degree.-500.degree. C. to coat the wire with the nickel suboxide, and final forming of the wire done after the coating of wire and the niobium and the tin are reaction annealed after the final forming of the wire. Alternately, a wire containing unreacted niobium and tin may be formed into final form, the purified carbonyl contacted to the wire at a temperature of 500.degree.-750.degree. C. and the niobium and the tin are reaction annealed, thus the insulation and the reaction annealing can be done essentially at the same time. The superconductor may also be an oxide ceramic superconductor.