Influence of intrinsic strain on Tc and critical current of high-Tc superconductors

Intrinsic strain is well known to influence Tc and jc of the classical superconductor Nb3Sn. Similar effects, which can be even more pronounced, have been found in high-Tc superconductors (HTSs). The HTS properties typically depend on hole doping of the CuO2 planes. This hole concentration can be influenced by doping with substituting atoms or by changing the oxygen content, which can easily be done for RE-Ba2Cu3Ox (RE-123) materials. In addition, the hole doping can be massively influenced by ordering effects within the HTS material and in the case of RE-123 by charge redistribution caused by applied strain and/or pressure. In most cases an anisotropic strain sensitivity is found for HTS materials.