Effects of absorbed hydrogen on the electronic properties of (Zr2Fe)1−xHx metallic glasses

Abstract

The electrical conductivity (σ) of hydrogen doped (Zr2Fe)1−xHx metallic glasses has been measured in the temperature range from 290 down to 5 K. The decrease of the room temperature conductivity and the increase of its temperature coefficient are explained as consequences of increased disorder due to hydrogen doping. σ(T) for (Zr2Fe)1−xHx metallic glasses at low temperatures decreases with the increase of temperature, forming a minimum at Tmin, before it starts a monotonic increase with increasing temperature. Both the functional forms and the magnitudes of the observed σ(T) are interpreted in terms of weak localization, electron–electron interaction and spin-fluctuation effects. Our results reveal that the electron–phonon scattering rate varies with the square of temperature from low temperatures up to 100 K and changes behaviour to a linear form at higher temperatures. At low temperatures, the minimum in σ(T) is shifted to higher temperatures, which is ascribed to the increase of the screening parameter of the Coulomb interaction F* associated with the enhancement of the spin fluctuations arising from the increase of the hydrogen doping. The spin–orbit scattering rate and the electron diffusion constant are reduced by hydrogen doping.