Radiofrequency behavior of Ag-sheathed (Bi,Pb)(2)Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+x superconducting tapes

Multifilamentary (Bi,Pb)(2)Sr2Ca2Cu3O10 superconducting tapes fabricated by the oxide-powder-in-tube method have been employed to assemble and test L-C resonating circuits operating in the radiofrequency domain. After removal of the outer silver sheath, superconducting devices cooled down to 77 K showed superior properties compared to equivalent non-superconducting circuits: Bi-based resonators, conceived for a working frequency in the range between 5 and 27 MHz, presented an improvement of the quality factor by more than an order of magnitude. This result could open new perspectives for the application of Bi-based superconducting materials in the detection of weak radio frequency signals, as in the magnetic resonance imaging technology.