The electrical resistance of slightly doped barium titanate ceramics drops the longer a voltage is applied according to researchers in Europe. The effect occurs irrespective of temperature or vacuum as opposed to atmospheric conditions. Ohm’s law relates voltage and current through the “constant” of a material’s resistance.

The new effect, which is not an interfacial effect, turns this nineteenth century foundation of physics on its head but could have practical use in explaining the degradation of circuitry and may eventually lead to novel electrical components that exploit the effect.

• Field enhanced bulk conductivity of acceptor-doped BaTi_1-xCa_xO_3-x ceramics
  N. Masó, M. Prades, H. Beltrán, E. Cordoncillo, D. C. Sinclair, A. R. West,
  Appl. Phys. Lett. 2010, 97, 062907.
  DOI: 10.1063/1.3476355