Abstract
The conventional transport properties—the Hall coefficient, the electrical resistivity and the thermoelectric power in five indium-rich solid solutions, In-Cd, In-Sn, In-Hg, In-Tl and In-Pb were measured in the range of 0∼5 and 0∼10 at. % of solute at 110°C. The electrical resistivity of these alloys varies linearly with the solute concentration in the range of measurement.
The Hall coefficients are small negative value compared with other ordinary metals such as copper, and decrease linearly with the solute concentration except In-Cd system, for which a minimum is found at about 5 at. % Cd.
The thermoelectric power of these alloys also decreases from a small positive value in indium (+0.82 μV/deg) toward the negative direction, and there is a minimum for In-Cd system at 5 at. % Cd.
The small value of the Hall coefficients, the linear changes of them, and the fall of the thermoelectric power with the solute concentration can be explained by assuming the existence of two types of carriers; one is electron-like and the other is hole-like. In order to explain the appearance of the minimum of the Hall coefficient and the thermoelectric power observed in In-Cd system, an assumption about the overlap of the Fermi surface across the boundary plane of the Brillouin zone is suggested .
