Previous studies on aluminum-potassium-silicon (AKS) doped tungsten wire have shown that the dispersion which provides the interlocking grain structure in recrystallized tungsten wire is bubbles of elemental potassium. However, there is little previous work on the K-containing dispersion in doped Mo. This paper will describe analyses of doped Mo.

The creation of dopant inclusions in Mo powder and generation of K bubbles in doped Mo wire both prior to and following various heat treatments has been studied. The effect of doping Mo with K, Al and Si is to increase the recrystallization temperature of the Mo and to produce a microstructure of coarse, interlocking grains after recrystallization.

Mo wire is produced in a similar manner to AKS doped tungsten, however lower processing temperatures are typically used in the production of Mo wire. The dopants are added to Mo oxide powder as potassium silicate and aluminum chloride.