The temperature dependence of the characteristic thermopowers of zinc, gallium, germanium and arsenic in copper and silver

Abstract

Abstract The characteristic thermopowers of zinc, gallium, germanium and arsenic in copper and silver at 290°K and 375°K have been determined from the measurements of the resistivities and thermopowers of a number of dilute alloys by the Nordheim–Gorter relationship. The lack of linearity with temperature of the characteristic thermopowers when copper is the solvent is interpreted as indicating a phonon-drag contribution to the thermopower of copper at 290°K of about 0·1 μv/°K. It is found that the characteristic thermopowers in silver are geater than in copper. The results are discussed in terms of some of the calculations of the resistivity increments associated with polyvalent solutes in copper.