Pressure Effects in Hafnium Pentatelluride and Zirconium Pentatelluride

摘要

We have measured the effect of pressure (0 to 17) kbar) on the resistivity and the thermopower of HfTe sub 5 and ZrTe sub 5 as a function of temperature. Pressure affects these two materials in different ways. The resistance shows a greater effect than the thermopower. There is a larger effect in HfTe sub 5 than in ZrTe sub 5 . Possible explanations in terms of a Fermi surface instability and a semi-metal are given. (ERA citation 08:026791)