Experimental magnetic-susceptibility study of the electronic properties of liquid Se-Te alloys

Abstract

The electronic properties of liquid Se-Te alloys have been investigated by measurement of the magnetic susceptibility $\chi$ in a temperature range up to 1100°C. $\chi$ is assumed to be composed of a temperature-independent diamagnetic term ${\chi }_D$ and a paramagnetic contribution ${\chi }_p$. ${\chi }_D$ is found to be a linear function of composition. In the Te-rich alloys, ${\chi }_p$ is proportional to the square root of electrical conductivity indicating diffusive electronic transport. In the Se-rich alloys, the temperature dependence of ${\chi }_p$ is found to be exponential with a composition-independent activation energy of 0.68 eV. This is interpreted as the energy required to produce a paramagnetic dangling bond. The entropy of bond breaking is found to increase strongly with Te content.