Experimental measurement of the electrical conductivity of pyroxenite at high temperature and high pressure under different oxygen fugacities

Electrical conductivities of pyroxenite were measured between frequencies of 10^?1 and 10⁶ Hz in a multi-anvil pressure apparatus using different solid buffers (Ni+NiO, Fe+Fe₃O₄, Fe+FeO and Mo+MoO₂) to stabilize the partial pressure of oxygen. The temperature ranged from 1073 to 1423 K (800 to 1200 °C) and the pressure from 1.0 to 4.0 GPa. We observe that: (1) the electrical conductivity (σ) of pyroxenite depends on frequency; (2) σ tends to increase with rising temperature (T), and Log σ and 1/T obey a linear Arrhenius relationship; (3) under control of the buffer Fe+Fe₃O₄, σ tends to decrease with rising pressure, nevertheless the activation enthalpy tends to increase. For the first time we have obtained values for the activation energy and activation bulk volume of the main charge carriers, which are (1.60±0.07) eV and (0.05±0.03) cm³/mol, respectively; (4) for a given pressure and temperature, σ tends to rise with increased oxygen fugacity, whereas the activation enthalpy and preexponential factor tend to decrease; and (5) the behaviour of the electrical conductivity at high temperature and high pressure can be reasonably interpreted by assuming that small polarons provide the dominant conduction mechanism in the pyroxenite samples.     

The band gap and electrical resistivity of FeS2-pyrite at high pressures

The indirect energy gap and electrical resistivity of FeS₂-pyrite have been measured at high pressures and 300 K using optical absorption spectroscopy and electrical conductivity measurements. Absorption spectra extend to ∼28 GPa, while resistivity is determined to ∼34 GPa. The band gap of FeS₂ is indirect throughout this pressure range and decreases linearly with pressure at a rate of −1.13(9)×10⁻² eV/GPa. If this linear trend continues, FeS₂ is expected to metallize at a pressure of 80(±8) GPa. The logarithm of resistivity also linearly decreases with pressure to 14 GPa with a slope of −0.101(±0.001)/GPa. However, between 14 and 34 GPa, the logarithm of resistivity is nearly constant, with a slope of −0.011(±0.003)/GPa. The measured resistivity of pyrite may be generated predominantly by extrinsic effects.     

Ionic to electronic dominant conductivity in Al2(WO4)3 at high pressure and high temperature

Electrical conduction and crystal structure of Al₂(WO₄)₃ at 400 °C have been studied as a function of pressure up to 5.5 GPa using impedance methods and synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction, respectively. AC impedance spectroscopy and DC polarization measurements reveal an ionic to electronic dominant transition in electrical conductivity at a pressure as low as 0.9 GPa. Conductivity increases with pressure and reaches a maximum at 4.0 GPa, where the conductivity value is 5 orders of magnitude greater than the 1 atm value. Upon decompression, the conductivity retains the maximum value until the sample is cooled at 0.5 GPa. The high pressure-temperature X-ray diffraction results show that the lattice parameters decrease as pressure increases and the crystal structure undergoes an orthorhombic to tetragonal-like transformation at a pressure ∼3.0 GPa. The change of conduction mechanism from ionic to electronic may be explained by means of pressure-induced valence change of W⁶⁺→W⁵⁺, which results in electron transfer between W⁵⁺-W⁶⁺ sites at high pressure.     

Effects of protons and acceptor substitution on the electrical conductivity of La6WO12

Transport properties and non-stoichiometry of La_1−xCa_xW_1/6O₂ and La_1−yW_1/6O₂ (x=0, 0.005, 0.05; y=0.05, 0.1) have been characterized by means of impedance spectroscopy, the EMF-technique, H⁺/D⁺ isotope exchange, and thermogravimetry in the temperature range 300-1200 °C as a function of oxygen partial pressure and water vapor partial pressure. The materials exhibit mixed ionic and electronic conductivities; n- and p-type electronic conduction predominate at high temperatures under reducing and oxidizing conditions, respectively. Protons are the major ionic charge carrier under wet conditions and predominates the conductivity below ∼750 °C. The maximum in proton conductivity is observed for LaW_1/6O₂ with values reaching 3×10⁻³ S/cm at approximately 800 °C. The high proton conductivity for the undoped material is explained by assuming interaction between water vapor and intrinsic (anti-Frenkel) oxygen vacancies.     

Screening effect of Ti ions on the electrical conductivity and thermoelectric power of Mg ferrite

The samples Mg_1+xTi_xFe_2−2xO₄ were prepared in a single phase spinel structure as indicated from X-ray analysis. The preference of Mg²⁺ ions to the octahedral site decreases the ratio of the normal spinel in the investigated ferrite where the Mg²⁺ increases on the expense of the Fe³⁺ ions on the same site. The increase in the conductivity was found to be due to thermally activated mobility of charge carriers. The mobility data enhances the use of Verway model of conductivity which depends on the electron exchange between iron ions of different valences located on the same crystallographic sites. The existence of Ti⁴⁺ ions on the octahedral site screens the polarization and decreases the conductivity of the samples. Peculiar behavior was obtained for Ti content of 0.7 and 0.8 due to the presence of secondary phases.     

Dependence of thermal conductivity on electrical resistivity in Bismuth-Tellurides

The p-type (Bi_0.25Sb_0.75)₂Te₃ doped with 3-12 wt% excess Te alone and n-type Bi₂(Te_0.94Se_0.06)₃ codoped with 0.017-0.026 wt% Te and 0.068-0.102 wt% I were prepared by the Bridgman method, to produce intentionally polycrystalline. Some of the as-grown specimens were annealed, in order to prepare specimens with much different ρ. These polycrystalline specimens have almost the same degree of alignment of the c plane parallel to the freezing direction. The electrical rersistivity ρ and thermal conductivity κ were measured at 298 K along the freezing direction and κ was plotted as a function of ρ. As a result, the lattice components κ_ph obtained by subtracting the electronic component κ_el from the observed κ were found to decrease almost linearly with a decrease of ρ in both p- and n-type specimens, where κ_el was calculated using Wiedemann-Franz law. This tendency is consistent with the conventional result that κ_ph becomes negligible small in metals. The significant decrease in κ_ph with decrease in ρ is considered to be caused predominantly by the phonon scattering due to dopants. The relationship between κ_ph and ρ was first clarified in the intermediate region between the metal and insulator.     

The effect of Holstein phonons on the electrical conductivity of doped monolayer graphene

Electrical conductivity of graphene sheets is studied in the presence of coupling between lattice optical vibrations and electrons. Green's function approach is implemented to find the temperature behavior of electrical conductivity. Moreover, the effect of electronic doping on the electrical conductivity of graphene with electron–phonon interaction is investigated. Our results show that electrical conductivity increases as a function of temperature at low temperature and gets a maximum value and then decays at high temperature.     

Effect of plasma treatment on electrical conductivity and Raman spectra of carbon nanotubes

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were treated with a radio-frequency discharge. We found that MWCNTs showed opposite trends in electrical conductivity when treated with oxygen and hydrogen plasmas. MWCNTs showed enhanced electrical conductivity when placed at cathode with oxygen plasma treatment, whereas MWCNTs treated at positive column did not show such a trend. In contrast, the conductivity of MWCNTs dropped sharply with hydrogen plasma treatment. The measured conductivity trends of MWCNTs are correlated with observed Raman spectral shift. The possible mechanisms of the change in electrical conductivity in plasma-treated MWCNTs are discussed.     

Non-stoichiometry effects on electrical and luminescence properties of the layered oxysulfide (LaO)CuS

The layered oxysulfide (LaO)CuS is a wide-gap semiconductor. In general, the wide-gap semiconductor has strong mono-polarity and non-stoichiometry which affect their physical properties. In this study, the relation between the non-stoichiometry of (LaO)CuS and their physical properties has been investigated. Several kinds of non-stoichiometric samples were prepared. In the Cu non-stoichiometry, (LaO)CuS can accommodate the excess Cu in preference to a deficiency. In the La and S non-stoichiometric samples, deficiencies are preferred. The Cu and S non-stoichiometry affects their electrical and emission properties as expected from the valence band structure. It should be noted that the La non-stoichiometry is also quite effective on the band edge emission and the resistivity as well as other non-stoichiometry. These results reveal that not only Cu but also La deficiency is important in controlling the physical properties.     

In-situ control of oxygen fugacity for laboratory measurements of electrical conductivity of minerals and rocks in a multi-anvil press

In this paper,a new of oxygen fugacity controltechnique that can be widely applied to in-situ measurement of the grain interior electrical conductivities of minerals and rocks is presented for high temperature and high pressure. Inside the sample assembly,a metal and corresponding metal oxide form a solid oxygen buffer. The principle of this technique is to randomly monitor and adjust oxygen fugacity in the large-volume multi-anvil press by changing the types of solid oxygen buffer,metal shielding case and electrodes. At a pressure of up to 5.0 GPa and a temperature of up to 1423 K,the electrical conductivities of the dry peridotite are tested under the conditions of different oxygen fugacities. By virtue of this new technique,more and more reasonable and accurate laboratory electrical property data will be successfully obtained under controlled thermodynamic conditions.     

Studies of the electrical properties of nearly perfect K2ZnCl4 single crystals as measured during commensurate incommensurate-paraelectric phase transitions

Electrical conductivity and dielectric measurements were carried in the temperature range covering the commensurate ferroelectric-incommensurate-paraelectric normal phases (300-600 K) for the three main crystallographic axes of K₂ZnCl₄ single crystals. The values of activation energies in the three phases were calculated and discussed. A thermal hysteresis of about 12 K is observed which deduce the presence of first order transition for the lock-in ferroelectric transition at T_c=404 K. Conductivity anomalies were observed in both ferroelectric and paraelectric phases. The conduction mechanism was discussed. The suggested occurrence of discommensuration in K₂ZnCl₄ crystals upon the lock-in transition in contrast with conductivity and dielectric results explains the anomalous behavior for the b-axis measurements. The orientation of these discommensuration was discussed on a view of projection in the three standard crystallographic directions.     

Thermal conductivity of hcp iron at high pressure and temperature

Results of steady-state heat transfer experiments on iron in laser-heated diamond anvil cell, combined with numerical simulation using finite-element method are reported. Thermal boundary conditions, dimensions of sample assemblage, heating-laser beam characteristics and relevant optical properties have been well defined in the course of experiments. The thermal conductivity of the polycrystalline hexagonal-iron foil has been determined up to pressure 70 GPa and temperature 2000 K. At these conditions, the conductivity value of 32±7 W/m K was found. Sources of errors arising from uncertainties in input parameters and applied experimental procedures are discussed. Considering results of earlier preferred-orientation studies in diamond anvil cell, an averaging effect of polycrystalline texture on the intrinsic anisotropy is assumed. The obtained conductivity is interpreted as an effective value, falling in between the upper and lower bounds on the average conductivity of a random aggregate of uniaxial crystals.     

Solid state electrical conductivity and thermal degradation studies on some phenothiazine derivatives

Electrical conductivity and thermal degradation studies of promethazine hydrochloride (PH); 2-chlorophenothiazine (CP); diethazine hydrochloride (DH) and trifluoperazine dihydrochloride (TFP) are reported. The activation energies are evaluated based on their electrical conductivity study conducted over the temperature range 30-150 °C. These energies for PH, CP, DH and TFP are found to be 0.86, 1.02, 0.68 and 1.08 eV, respectively. The materials are analyzed for the kinetic parameters like the activation energies for decomposition and the Arrhenious pre-exponential factors in their pyrolysis region using Broido's, Coats-Redfern and Horowitz-Metzger methods. Using these factors and the standard equations thermodynamic parameters such as enthalpy, entropy and free energies are calculated. Thermogravimetric study on these phenothiazine derivatives in air indicated that their stabilities are in the order CP>TFP>PH >DH.     

Electrical conductivity anisotropy in alkali feldspar at high temperature and pressure

The electrical conductivity of alkali feldspar along different orientations was determined at 1.0 GPa and at temperatures of 823–1286 K in a cubic anvil apparatus using alternating current impedance spectroscopy. Impedance arcs representing crystal conductivity occur in the frequency range of ～10³–10⁶ Hz. The electrical conductivity of alkali feldspar increases with increasing temperature. The highest electrical conductivities in alkali feldspars were measured along the a-axis, with somewhat lower conductivities along the b-axis, and the lowest conductivities along the c-axis, suggesting minor anisotropy. The activation enthalpies ranged from 100 to 110 kJ/mol. The anisotropic results were combined to yield an isotropic model with an activation enthalpy of 102 kJ/mol. By comparing these results with previous results, we suggest that the dominating charge carriers for alkali feldspars are alkali ions. The minor anisotropy in conductivity for alkali feldspar may not account for the anisotropy of the crust.     

Experimental study on the preparation,characterization and conductivity improvement of reduced graphene-oxide papers

In the present study, reduced graphene-oxide (r-GO) papers were prepared by vacuum filtration method using chemically obtained graphene oxide as raw materials. Different reduction methods, chemical, thermal or the combination were designed to investigate the influence of reduction process on the structure and conductivity of r-GO papers. The reducibility of the obtained papers was investigated by XPS and Raman. The structure, morphology and electrical conductivity were examined by XRD, SEM and four point resistivity test system, respectively. Results showed that chemical reduction using hydrazine or annealing in reducing ambinent alone was not sufficient to achieve maximum reduction, the highest C/O ratio and highest conductivity was obtained in paper reduced via a combination of hydrazine and thermal annealing treatment. In order to further improve the conductivity of the paper, Ag nanoparticles have been decorated into the paper.     

Effects of uniaxial pressure and annealing on the resistivity of Ba(Fe1−xCox)2As2

Single crystals of underdoped Ba(Fe_1−xCo_x)₂As₂ were detwinned by applying uniaxial pressure. The anisotropic in-plane resistivity was measured using the Montgomery method without releasing pressure. The resistivity along the a-axis shows metallic behavior down to 5 K, while the resistivity along the b-axis shows an insulator-like behavior in some temperature range. Annealing the sample radically reduces the residual resistivity for x=0, and at the same time the anisotropy becomes much smaller at low temperatures.     

Electrical conductivity and amorphization of Sc2(WO4)3 at high pressures and temperatures

Impedance spectroscopy measurements and synchrotron X-ray diffraction studies of Sc₂(WO₄)₃ at 400°C have been carried out as a function of pressure up to 4.4 GPa. Ionic conductivity shows normal decrease with increase in pressure up to 2.9 GPa, but then increases at higher pressures. The XRD results show that Sc₂(WO₄)₃ undergoes pressure-induced amorphization at pressures coincident with the reversal in conductivity behavior. The loss of crystal structure at high pressure is consistent with growing evidence of pressure-induced amorphization in negative thermal expansion materials, such as Sc₂(WO₄)₃. The increase in conductivity in the amorphized state is interpreted as the result of an increase in structural entropy and a concomitant reduction of energy barriers for ionic transport.     

A study on the electrical conductivity of multi-walled carbon nanotube aqueous solution

The electrical conductivity was investigated for multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) dissolved in chloroform and toluene, respectively. The electrical conductivity remarkably increased with increase in the content of MWNTs, which is in accordance with Archie's equation . Furthermore, a hypothesis of the electronic transport process was proposed to explain the difference between the solution and the solid compound. In addition, the temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity shows that log σ vs. 1/T exist in a good linear relationship. The activation energy of the electrical conductivity decreased with increase in concentration and an inflexion was observed at 60 °C in MWNT/toluene solution.     

Effect of fabrication parameters on the electrical conductivity of YxSr1−xTiO3 for anode materials

Yttrium-doped strontium titanate (Y_xSr_1−xTiO₃), as probable anode material for SOFC, was prepared by solid-state reaction. The solubility of yttrium in SrTiO₃ at different temperatures was examined and the electrical conductivities of Y_xSr_1−xTiO₃ were measured from 500 to 1000 °C. The effects of doping amount, fabrication atmosphere, and sintering temperature on the electrical conductivity of Y_xSr_1−xTiO₃ were investigated. Y_xSr_1−xTiO₃ with x=0.08 was found to give the maximum electrical conductivity, 71 S/cm at 800 °C in pure hydrogen. Reducing atmospheres and appropriate sintering temperatures play a positive role in improving the electrical conductivity.     

Effect of ZnO/CdO on the structure and electrical conductivity in Li2O·MO·Bi2O3·B2O3 glasses (M=Zn, Cd)

Studies of structural and electrical properties have been carried out on a number of glasses with wide ranging compositions in the glass systems Li₂O·MO·Bi₂O₃·B₂O₃ (where M=Zn or Cd), in order to understand the effect of transition metal (TM) ions on the structure of these glasses. The density and molar volume measurements have also been made to understand the structural changes occurring in these glasses. The dc conductivity measured in the temperature range 423-623 K obeys Arrhenius law. It increases with increase in Li₂O/MO ratio. The results of infrared spectra indicate that TM ions (Zn²⁺ or Cd²⁺) behave as network former in the present system. Boron exists in both tri- and tetra-hedral units in these glasses and no boroxol ring formation takes place in the glass structure. Values of theoretical optical basicity have also been reported.