Anomalous temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity of molten Sb

Abstract

Using the d.c. four-probe method, the electrical resistivity of high-purity liquid Sb has been accurately measured as functions of temperature. It is observed that the resistivity of liquid Sb changes abnormally with increasing temperature, which is very different from that of simple liquid metals. Based on the reported structure factor at several temperatures, the results obtained in this work have been discussed and interpreted qualitatively according to Ziman theory. The analysis suggests that the existence of shortrange order structure near the melting point can account for the abnormal phenomenon observed in the resistivity of liquid Sb, in which semimetal-metal transaction takes place in the melting process. At the same time, the progress of the structure change of liquid Sb with temperature has also been pointed out.