Treatment of Y-Ba-Cu-O superconductors by pulsed electric fields and currents

The application of pulsed electric fields (PEF) and pulsed electric currents (PEC) to superconductors based upon Y-Ba-Cu-O compound is promising since we deal with highly deformed perovskites. If PEF is applied in mixed phase Y 1.2 Ba 0.8 CuO 4 before sintering simultaneously with uniaxial compression the states of low resistance can be induced up to 210 K. The onset to low resistance state takes place at 280 K and in most significant cases the ratio of low/high resistance is less than 1/2000. Raman data, X-ray measurements and susceptibility data support an opinion that we are dealing with new phase not known in the recently published sequence of yttrium oxides.