Low-temperature transport properties of Zn4Sb3 bulk crystal grown by gradient freeze method

The low temperature thermoelectric properties have been investigated on Zn4Sb3 compound between 4 K and 300 K. A single phase Zn4Sb3 bulk crystal with the density of 95.4 % of the theoretical has been grown by a gradient freeze method. The resistivity exhibits a metallic conduction with an anomaly associated with a structural transformation from alpha to beta phase at T-S(GF) = 257.4 K. The thermopower is positive and larger in alpha than in beta phase. The elongation of Zn4Sb3 is small (1 X 10(-4)) at T-S(GF). The magnetic measurement shows that Zn4Sb3 is a diamagnetism and chi (T) curve has an appreciable increase at T-S(GF). The power factor of a phase is two times as large as that of beta phase at low-temperature region (below 300 K).