Keywords
Pressure-Quench Protocol (PQP)
Mercury-based cuprates (Hg-1223)
Metastable high-pressure phase
Ambient-pressure record critical temperature
How to Cite
Abstract
The discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates during the late 1980s triggered an intense race to raise the critical temperature (Tc), driven both by scientific pressure and physical pressure applied via diamond anvil cells. While mercury-based cuprates, particularly HgBa2Ca2Cu₃O8+δ (Hg-1223), held the ambient-pressure record of 134 K for over three decades, achieving higher Tc at ambient conditions remained elusive. This paper reviews the history of pressure-enhanced superconductivity and presents a recent breakthrough: the Pressure-Quench Protocol (PQP). By applying high pressure at room temperature, cooling the sample under pressure, releasing the pressure at cryogenic temperatures (below 20 K), and finally warming to ambient temperature, the high-pressure superconducting phase becomes “kinetically trapped”. This protocol yields an ambient-pressure Tc of approximately 150 K in Hg-1223—the highest ever recorded at ambient pressure. Structural retention is confirmed by synchrotron X‑ray diffraction, and the method opens new pathways for discovering and stabilizing high-temperature superconducting phases without requiring continuous external pressure.
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