Electrochemical Investigations of Various High-Temperature Superconductor Phases

The electrochemical responses recorded at nine copper oxide ceramics, including six high-temperature superconductor phases, are described in this paper. The cyclic voltammetric behavior exhibited by these materials is found to depend greatly on the method of surface treatment, the sample preparation technique, the amount of impurities in the high-T_c phase, and the properties of the electrolytic fluid. The voltammetry acquired at these electrodes is used as a diagnostic tool to assess the surface quality of the electrodes and to measure the degree of reversibility of electron flow at the electrode/solution interface. It is shown that the preferred method of surface preparation for the copper oxide materials is a diamond-scribed technique in that well-resolved voltammetry is obtained using this treatment for the majority of copper oxide superconductors.