Abstract
ZnSb2O6 was revealed to be an n-type semiconductor and the carrier was generated by oxygen defects related to the reaction with ambient oxygen gas. From thermoelectric and thermogravimetric measurements, the carriers were revealed to be thermally activated and the concentration was found to decrease as temperature increased.
The substitution of zinc site by transition metal (cobalt, nickel, copper) lowers the carrier concentration and also changes the activation energy of conduction. A relationship between the activation energy and the length of the c-axis was observed which indicated that the conduction of these materials was affected by the distance of the MO6 octahedra. Due to low electrical conductivity, ZnSb2O6 does not have sufficient energy converting efficiency.
