Conductivity of Liquid Selenium-200°–500°C

Abstract

The conductivity of liquid selenium has been measured in the temperature range 200°–500°C. The resistivity was expressed by log_10ρ=A+(B/T). Average values for different selenium lots and melts of A and B were −3.81 and 5850. The maximum deviations from the averages were 10 percent and 3.4 percent respectively. The resistivity was a function of temperature alone. Various non‐metal impurities Cl₂, I₂, P lowered the resistivities and produced different values of B in different temperature ranges. Mercury addition caused no change in either A or B although that metal greatly influences the resistance of solid hexagonal selenium. Melts doped with Cl₂ or Br₂, along with Hg exhibited behaviors different from those with single additions. It was concluded that selenium is an ideal semiconductor in the range of measurement.