Nb3Al formation at temperatures lower than 1000°C

A study has been made of the possibility of making Nb
3
Al wires by interdiffusion between Al and Nb at relatively low temperatures (lower than 1000°C). This method should allow the fabrication of a copper stabilized wire by coworking Nb and Al composites in a copper matrix before the diffusion treatment. Results concerning the diffusion temperature and time de pendence of J
c
and T
c
are presented. While J
c
(64kG) is quite high, of the order of 1.5×10
⁵
A/cm
²
, T
c
is 15.56°K, lower than the usually reported value. X- -ray measurements of the lattice parameter are also reported and correlated with the measured value of T
c
.