Concentration and mean free path of the conduction electrons in scandium,yttrium and lanthanides

Measurements were carried out of the thickness dependence of the room-temperature electrical resistivity of vacuum-deposited polycrystalline films of scandium, yttrium and rare earth metals. Inserting these results into the size-effect relation giving the conductivity of thin deposits, and considering all the factors which can affect the mechanism of electron scattering at the surfaces, both the density and the bulk mean free path of the charge carriers were determined.