Fabrication and superconducting properties of multifilamentary MgB2 conductors for AC purposes: twisted tapes and wires with very thin filaments

In order to use MgB2 conductors for AC applications, research and development efforts have to be carried out on their architecture and sheath material to minimize the AC losses. This paper will present the fabrication and characterization of two types of ex situ powder-in-tube processed pure MgB2 conductors with properties making them good candidates for AC industrial applications: a multifilamentary tape with 12 filaments with a twisting pitch down to 17 mm and a 361-filament wire with an average single-filament size of about 30 μm. Concerning the twisted tapes we will present values of critical current density of about 105 A cm-2 at 4.2 K and 2 T and we will show that it is possible to achieve a proper compromise between the tape size, the twisting pitch length and the critical current density to face a reduction of the critical current density as a consequence of the strain on the filaments. Concerning the 361-multifilamentary wire we will show appreciable values of critical current density of about 5 x 104 A cm-2 at 4.2 K and 2.5 T which, together with the advantages given by the high number of very thin filaments and the non-magnetic matrix, could justify their employment.