Transport Properties of a YBa2Cu4O8 Crystal under High Pressure

Abstract
Measurements of the temperature dependence of the resistivity ρa,ρb, resistance Rc, and thermoelectric power αa,αb,αc for a YBa2Cu4 O8 crystal under high pressure verify that the CuO2 sheets are oxidized by pressure-induced electron transfer from the CuO2 sheets to the Cu(1)-O double chains. The anomaly in the CuO2-sheet resistivity ρa at T170K, which moves to a higher temperature on oxidation of the CuO2 sheets, is correlated to a change in the character of Rc. Our data also demonstrate unambiguously the contribution to the transport properties from Cu-O chains.