metal during oxidation the temperature oxygen partial pressure and reaction time are selected to achieve the oxide stoichiometry required for superconductivity without oxidizing the excess cu metal to cu 2 o and or cuo thus the final composite consists of a superconducting la ba cu oxide phase and a substantially pure cu metallic phase the alloy ribbon prepared in example 1 2 or 3 can be formed into a shape e g a ring or coil prior to oxidation and then oxidized to provide a superconducting oxide or oxide metal composite in the desired shape a superconducting oxide or oxide metal composite is prepared as in examples 1 2 or 3 but in the form of a wire by providing the alloy initially as a hot isostatically pressed compact of a rapidly solidified powder ground up rapidly solidified ribbon or cast billet and then forming it into a wire by wire drawing the wire is then shaped by winding it around a metallic core and oxidized to prepare superconducting magnets the wire can also be oxidized prior to shaping the alloy prepared in examples 1 2 or 3 is prepared as a rapidly solidified powder rather than as a ribbon and then hot isostatically pressed to form a useful shape e g a ring the shaped article is then oxidized to form a superconducting oxide or oxide metal composite article a superconducting oxide or oxide metal composite is prepared as in example 1 2 or 3 except that the alloy is prepared by melting then atomizing the liquid alloy using inert gas atomization to form a powder the alloy powder is coextruded with a.