Normal state resistivity and Tç studies of superconducting Ti1−xSbx system

The superconducting transition temperature (T_c) and the temperature dependence of the normal state resistivity of the Ti_1?xSb_x system between T_c and 300 K have been studied. The T_c values are found to depend on the heat treatment of the samples. Below 40 K, all alloys show a T² dependence of the resistivity. However, the sample with x = 0.53 is not superconducting and shows a different behaviour of the resistivity.     

Electrical conduction and critical magnetic field for superconductivity of a Nb3Se4 single crystal

With respect to the quasi-one dimensionality of single crystals of Nb₃Se₄, the electrical resistivity from 1.3 to 320 K and the critical magnetic field for superconductivity are measured. The resistivity along the Nb-chain direction is represented as a sum of a temperature independent and an intrinsic temperature dependent term. The temperature dependence of the intrinsic resistivity subjects to T³ form between 10 and 80 K above which it tends to a T linear form. The critical magnetic field is proportional to the temperature difference from the transition temperature. Its dependence is well fitted by the elliptical fluxoid model of Ginzburg-Landau theory. The ratio of the parallel and the perpendicular to the c-axis is 5.7.     

Phase hexagonale de L'ytterbium sous pression

Low temperature resistivity measurements have been used to map out the phase transition f.c.c.-hex in Ytterbium. The hexagonal phase is stable up to 2 kbar at helium temperature. According to the data of residual resistivity and T² variation law the density of carrier is higher in the hexagonal phase than in the f.c.c. phase.     

Anomalous electrical properties of linear chain mercury compounds

The electrical resistivity of Hg_2.86AsF₆ has been studied as a function of temperature. At room temperature, the resistivity along the chain direction is 10^?4 Ω-cm with an anisotropy of about 10². This incommensurate linear chain system remains metallic at low temperatures with resistance ratio ?_ab(300 K)/ ?_ab(1.4 K) ? 3000 and still increasing with no apparent sign of residual resistivity. A large anisotropic magnetic field dependence of the resistivity is observed below 30 K. Near 4 K, the c-axis resistance drops abruptly more than three orders of magnitude, apparently to zero, while ?_ab is continuous. The c-axis transition is suppressed in a small magnetic field.     

Electrical conductivity in HMTSF-TNAP under pressure

The resistivity of the organic conductor HMTSF-TNAP has been measured at pressures up to 25 kbar and at temperatures down to 1.2 K. Under pressure the increase in the stacking axis resistivity of HMTSF-TNAP (Δ^2,2 -Bi(4,5-trimethylene-1,3-diselenole)-11,11′,12,12′-tetracyano-2m6- naphtoquinodimethane) below 47 K is reduced, although the transition temperature T_p falls at only 0.7 K kbar^?1. This weak pressure dependence compared to that of HMTSF-TCNQ correlates with the larger resistivity anisotropy in the TNAP salt.     

The influence of structure on electrical resistivities of Pd-Au-Si and Au-Ge-Si glass forming alloys

The resistivity of Pd-Au-Si and Au-Ge-Si glass forming alloys is found to depend on structural states. The temperature coefficient α is largest in the relaxed glasses at glass transition, smallest in the unrelaxed glassy state and intermediate in the liquid phase. An unusually large α ≈ ?10^?3K^?1 is observed for the relaxed Au-Ge-Si Glasses.     

Electron-phonon interaction and coulomb pseudopotential in AuGa alloys from resistivity and superconductivity measurements

Measurements of the electrical resistivity as a function of temperature from 250 to 270 K for Au and f.c.c. phase AuGa alloys are presented. The linear dependence of the resistivity with temperature and previous results of the superconducting transition temperature of the alloys are used to obtain a value for T_c of pure Au. From these results a new method is introduced to estimate the Coulomb pseudopotential μ¹ for gold.     

Phonon resistivities of dilute transition metal compounds

The temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity measured in a number of dilute aluminium-3d transition metal compound is interpreted as due to a Mott-scattering. It is shown both experimentally and theoretically, that this process gives a contribution proportional to T⁴ at low temperature in the case of localized d-states.     

Kinetic effects in manganites La1 − x Ag y MnO3 (y ≤ x)

We have measured the resistivity, magnetoresistance, and thermopower of ceramic manganite samples La_{1 ? x} Ag _y MnO₃ (y ≤ x) doped with silver as functions of temperature (4.2–350 K) and magnetic field (up to 26 kOe). A metal-insulator phase transition is observed in all investigated samples at temperatures close to room temperature. The behavior of the resistivity and thermopower in the high-temperature paramagnetic region is interpreted using the concept of small radius polaron; the activation energy decreases with increasing doping level. The resistivity in the low-temperature ferromagnetic region is approximated by the expression ρ_FM(T) = ρ₀ + AT ² + BT ^4.5 presuming the existence of electron-electron and electron-magnon interactions. A resistivity minimum and a strong magnetoresistive effect are observed at low temperatures. The latter effect is associated with scattering of charge carriers at grain boundaries, which are antiferromagnetically ordered relative to one another. The temperature dependence of thermopower in the magnetically ordered phase is described in the framework of a model taking into account the drag of charge carriers by magnons.     

Phase transitions in N—n-propylpyridinium-TCNQ2 and N—n-butylpyridinium-TCNQn at high pressures

The electrical resistivity of N-n-propylpyridinium-TCNQ₂ (NPPy-TCNQ₂) and N-n-butylpyridinium-TCNQ_n (NBPy-TCNQ_n) has been measured as a function of temperature and pressure. Phase transitions in these salts have been studied at high pressures. The transition temperature (T_c) in NPPy-TCNQ₂ at atmospheric pressure increased with increasing pressure at the rate of dT_c/dP = + 12.0 degkbar^?1. The value of volume change calculated from the Clapeylon-Clausius relation was + 4.4 cm³ mol^?1. The electrical resistivity along the a- and c-axis increased with increasing pressure below 7 kbar. This anomalous electrical behaviour is closely related to the crystal structure of NPPy-TCNQ₂. The resistivity dropped sharply at about 11 kbar. This abrupt change may be due to a new pressure induced phase transition.The T_c of the NBPy-TCNQ_n increased remarkably with increasing pressure up to 0.7 kbar, above which the phase transition disappeared. The phase transitions of N-n-alkyl-substituted pyridinium TCNQ salts depend strongly on the nature of cations.     

Pressure enhancement of charge density wave formation in VSe2; The role of coulomb correlations

We have followed the pressure dependence of the onset and lock-in CDW transitions in VSe₂ by measurements of resistivity and Hall effect up to 30 kbar. (The onset transition appears as a break in the slope of the resistivity, and the lock-in as ≈ 1% temperature hysteresis). Both transition temperatures rise at 0.8 K kbar^?. We attribute this behaviour to pressure broadening of the d conduction band in the presence of strong electron Coulomb repulsion.     

Preexponential factor in variable-range hopping conduction in CuInTe2

We study the temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity in a single crystal of p-type uncompensated CuInTe₂ on the insulating side of the metal-insulator transition down to 0.4 K. We observe a crossover from Mott to Efros-Shklovskii variable-range hopping conduction. In Efros-Shklovskii-type conduction, the resistivity is best described by explicitly including a preexponential temperature dependence according to the general expression ρ=ρ₀T^αexp(T_ES/T)^1/2, with α≠0. A theory based on the resistor network model was developed to derive an explicit relation between α and the decay of the wavefunction of the localized states. A consistent correspondence between the asymptotic extension of the wavefunction and the conduction regime is proposed. The results indicate a new mechanism for a local resistivity maximum in insulators, not involving magnetic effects.     

The D.C. voltage-dependent resistivity of CuCl powder compacts under pressure

The CuCl powder compacts are found to exhibit d.c. voltage dependent resistivity. The resistivity drops by six orders of magnitudes when the applied voltage exceeds a critical value V_c.V_c is found to decrease with the increase in pressure. The high conducting phase shows a positive temperature coefficient of resistance at 1 atm of 0.004°C^-1 which increases with pressure at a rate 0.0004°C^?1 GPa^?1. It is suggested that the pressure induced transition reported at 4 GPa could arise from the application of d.c. voltage.     

Low temperature properties of the metallic antiferromagnet ErZn12

The metallic antiferromagnet ErZn₁₂ orders magnetically at 2·76°K. We report measurements of the susceptibility, magnetisation, resistivity and specific heat of polycrystalline specimens of it in the vicinity of the magnetically ordered regime. We find evidence for a metamagnetic or spin-flop transition in fields of 3–7KOe. The resistivity increases monotonically from low temperature to the Néel point and has a power-law dependence on temperature of Tⁿ, where n～6·5. The specific heat shows a lambda anomaly at the Néel point and the divergences which appear above and below it are compared with those reported previously in the resistivity. The magnetic entropy indicates that the ordering process involves only one crystal-field doublet.     

The suppression of structural phase transformation in LaVO3 and La1−xSrxVO3 thin films fabricated by pulsed laser deposition

Highly oriented (100) thin films of LaVO₃ and La_1−xSr_xVO₃ have been fabricated by pulsed laser deposition in a reducing atmosphere. The films show a transition from insulating to metallic behaviour in the composition region of x, 0.175<x<0.200. In the single crystals of the antiferromagnetic insulating phase, a first-order structural phase transition is observed few degrees below the magnetic transition, which manifests itself as a kink in the temperature dependence of resistivity. In the highly oriented thin films of LaVO₃ and La_1−xSr_xVO₃ fabricated on lattice matched substrates in this study, the structural phase transformation in the insulating phase has been suppressed. The electrical conduction is found to take place via hopping through localized states at low temperatures. The metallic compositions show a non-linear (T^1.5) behaviour in the temperature dependence of resistivity. V (2p) core level spectra of these films show a gradual change in the relative intensities of V³⁺ and V⁴⁺ ions as the value of x increases.     

Current-induced effect on resistivity and magnetoresistance of La0.67Ba0.33MnO3 manganite

The influence of dc biasing current on temperature dependence of resistivity and low-field magnetoresistance (MR) of La_0.67Ba_0.33MnO₃ bulk sample is reported. A prominent finding is the change in resistivity around the insulator-to-metal transition temperature (T_IM) and the change in MR around the ferromagnetic transition temperature (T_C). The decrease in MR around T_C at higher biasing current indicates a strong interaction between carrier spin and spin of Mn ions resulting in a higher alignment of Mn ion spins. Change in resistivity around T_IM is interpreted in the framework of percolative conduction model based on the mixed phase of itinerant electrons and localized magnetic polarons.     

Structural, magnetotransport and morphological studies of Sb-doped La2/3Ba1/3MnO3 ceramic perovskites

We report here the structural, magnetotransport and morphological studies of Sb-doped La_2/3Ba_1/3Mn_1−xSb_xO₃ perovskite manganites. Pristine material La_2/3Ba_1/3MnO₃ (LBMO) shows two insulator-metal (I-M) transitions in the electrical resistivity-temperature (ρ-T) behavior. While the higher temperature transition (T_P1) at ∼340 K is reminiscent of the usual I-M transition in manganites, the lower temperature transition (T_P2) at ∼250 K has been ascribed to the grain boundary (GB) effects arising out of the ionic size mismatch between the ions present at the rare-earth site (La³⁺ and Ba²⁺). With Sb-doping T_P1 shifts to lower temperatures while T_P2 remains invariant up to 3% and shifts to lower temperature for 5%. Room temperature electrical resistivity and the peak values also increase successively with Sb-doping. Scanning electron micrographs of the samples exhibit a gradual increase in their grain sizes with Sb indicating a gradual decrease in the GB density. Shift of T_P1 with doping is explained on the basis of a competition between double-exchange and super-exchange mechanisms. The overall electrical resistivity increases and the shift in the electrical resistivity hump (T_P2) with Sb-doping is found related to be gradually decreasing GB density and the ensuing lattice strain increase at the GBs. The intrinsic magnetoresistance (MR) gets suppressed and extrinsic MR gets enhanced with Sb-doping. At T>T_P1, the electrical resistivity is found to follow the adiabatic polaron hopping model whereas the electron-magnon scattering is found to dominate in the metallic regime (T<T_P1).     

A study of the temperature and pressure dependence of the electrical resistivity of a dilute Cr-Ge system

The electrical resistivity of a series of dilute Cr-Ge alloys containing up to 1.5 atm % Ge, was measured as a function of temperature and pressure. The measurements clearly demonstrate the existence of resistivity anomalies at the incommensurate-commensurate spin density wave transition temperature (T_IC) in contrast with recently reported results. The complete magnetic phase diagram, determined for the first time from electrical resistivity measurements, contains a triple point in contrast with previous neutron diffraction results but in agreement with thermal expansion measurements. It was found that the incommensurate spin density wave state is absent in alloys with more than 1 atm % Ge. The Néel temperatures and incommensurate-commensurate transition temperatures are affected differently by pressure. Pressure decreases T_N in all the alloys while it increases T_IC for those alloys in which the incommensurate-commensurate transition occurs. The decrease of T_N with pressure is much larger for the commensurate-paramagnetic than for the incommensurate-paramagnetic transition. The electrical resistivity of the alloys at room temperature behaves anomalously with applied pressure. This anomalous behaviour is attributed to an antiferromagnetic-paramagnetic phase transition that is induced in the alloys by applied pressure.     

High-temperature structural phase transition in the LiCu2O2 multiferroic

The results of thermogravimetric, X-ray diffraction, and electrical studies of LiCu₂O₂ single crystals in the temperature range 300–1100 K are presented. A reversible first-order phase transition between the orthorhombic and tetragonal phases is found to occur in these single crystals at T = 993 K. A pronounced peak on a differential thermal analysis curve and jumps in the unit cell parameters and the electrical resistivity are detected at the phase-transition temperature. The data on the crystal structure of LiCu₂O₂ and the phase transition-induced change in the entropy determined in this work are used to conclude that the revealed phase transition is caused by the ordering-disordering of Li⁺ and Cu²⁺ cations in their structural positions.     

Sr doping effects on the transport and magnetic properties of GdBaCo2O5+δ

Studies on some new members of the cobalt perovskite Gd_1−xSr_xBaCo₂O_5+δ with low strontium concentrations (0<x<0.1) have been carried out with the aim of investigating possible metallization of the GdBaCo₂O_5+δ system by hole doping. Low temperature electrical resistivity, magnetic susceptibility and thermopower of the above system have been studied. The pristine compound with x=0 and δ∼0.5 exhibits a semiconductor-like behavior and two magnetic transitions below room temperature. Upon Sr²⁺ substitution, there is a fall in resistivity by 2-3 orders of magnitude at low temperature and also a dramatic reduction in the ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic transition temperature. These changes can be explained on the basis of hole doping (and increase in the Co⁴⁺content). Evidence for an increase in Co⁴⁺ with Sr²⁺ substitution is provided by iodometric analysis.