The preparation and characterization of the cobalt skutterudites CoP3, CoAs3 and CoSb3

Single crystals of the cobalt skutterudites CoP₃, CoAs₃ and CoSb₃ have been prepared by the chemical vapor transport technique using chlorine as the transport agent. Chemical analysis and density measurements were used to determine accurately the stoichiometry of these crystals. Physical properties of chemically pure single crystals were obtained by X-ray diffraction, magnetic susceptibility and electrical measurements. CoP₃ is a diamagnetic semiconductor with an optical band gap of 0.45 eV. CoAs₃ and CoSb₃ are also diamagnetic and show an increase in their resistivity as a function of increasing temperature. In addition, they do not give any measurable absorption edge but absorb radiation at all frequencies from 0.4 to 4.3 eV.