Effect of silver content on the mechanical and electrical properties of the YBaCuO/Ag ceramic

Doping the YBaCuO superconducting ceramic with 3–5 wt % silver is shown to substantially increase its microplasticity and strength. Temperature spectra of microplastic strain rates for YBaCuO/Ag ceramics with 0, 1.6, 2.9, 4.2, and 7.6 wt % silver were obtained. The structure of the spectra and the relation of one of the peaks to the superconducting transition are discussed. The specific features of the I–V characteristics of samples cooled in a magnetic field are considered. It is shown that the position of the rising branch of a I–V characteristic depends on its origin; this observation can be used to fix two or more stable states of an HTSC-based memory cell.