LE3 .A278 2018

2018

Bennett, Craig

Acadia University

Bachelor of Science

Honours

Physics

Physics

Some metals when they are cooled to low temperatures do not have a uniform charge distribution. In these metals, the electron charge density varies in a wave-like fashion, referred to as a charge density wave (CDW). Charge density waves are a coupled modulation of the conduction electron density and the host lattice structure that occurs primarily in low-dimensional compounds. The characteristics of CDWs are not fully understood. Nb3Te4 is a transition metal compound with spacious hexagonal tunnels that exhibits a CDW transition at 110 K. To investigate the CDW transition in Nb3Te4, silver, gallium, or zinc atoms are inserted into these tunnels, a process known as intercalation. Intercalation does not produce significant changes in theNb3Te4 structure; however through the transfer of electrons, intercalation does affect the CDW transition. The effect of intercalate concentration on the properties of the CDW in Nb3Te4 was investigated using resistivity measurements, X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. It was observed that intercalation suppresses the CDW onset temperature for all three intercalates; however, due to limited intercalation under the experimental conditions used, no clear correlation of onset temperature with intercalate concentration could be established.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:2661