Effect of pressure on the out-of-plane critical current and T-c of Bi-2201and Bi-2212 single crystals

We used the hydrostatic pressure P < 1 GPa as a tool to change the c-axis c ritical current (interlayer coupling) of Bi-2201 and Bi-2212 single crystal s. The c-axis critical current drastically increases with pressure (up to 2 70 % GPa(-1)). The superconducting critical temperature, on the contrary, o nly slightly increases with a rate of similar to 2-6 % GPa(-1). This implie s that the CuO interlayer coupling has little effect on T-c in Bi-compounds .