Investigation of the properties of PbMo6S8powder processed wires

We report on recent improvements of the fabrication of PbMo6S8wires by a powder-metallurgical-technique based on a molybdenum matrix. Using industrial methods for hot drawing of molybdenum we successfully produced Mo-PbMo6S8wires of 0.3 mm diameter and typical lengths of a hundred meters. After proper annealing the critical temperature measured by an inductive method reaches 13.7 K which corresponds of the Tcof the starting powder. Critical current densities in this type of wire are still insufficient for application but recent investigations in hot pressed bulk PbMo6S8show that values above 10⁸Am^-2at 14 T and 4.2 K may be obtained. Preliminary tests on PbMo6S8wires doped with Ga yield an increase of Jcup to one order of magnitude in comparison to an undoped wire.