The paper reports on the results of high-resolution field emission microscopy technique and its application for a qualitative analysis of the local chemical composition of superconducting Nb–Ti alloys. Previous investigations based on field ion microscopy revealed that a superconducting wire made of Nb–60 at. %Ti alloy contains thin and extended regions with a composition close to Nb, which form current-carrying paths with a density 4×1010 cm−2. The formation of such zones is associated with rising diffusion occurring during thermal treatment and correlates with high critical currents. The development of the high-resolution field emission microscopy has made it possible to refine considerably in the present work the distribution of precipitated components and the configuration of the current-carrying system. The obtained results confirm that high current-carrying properties of Nb–Ti alloys are due to the presence of phases with a composition close to pure Nb precipitated as a result of thermomechanical treatment and forming a three-dimensional lattice of inclusions.
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