A simple apparatus for variable temperature resistivity study of compressed powders

Abstract

A simple apparatus consisting of (i) a stainless steel cell to carry out two-probe electrical resistivity measurement on compressed powders and (ii) a variable temperature assembly is described. The apparatus enables measurements to be carried out on very small quantities of powder samples in a non-destructive way and is particularly suitable for semiconducting materials. Demonstration experiments based on band gap determination of organic charge transfer salts are presented including a well-known semiconductor-semiconductor transition.