Phase transitions detection by means of a contact electrode

We investigate theoretically and next experimentally a new possibility to detect critical temperatures of solids by means of a very simple electrical circuit consisting of an analyzed sample (exhibiting phase transitions) and a contact electrode (hereafter reference electrode) where the constant voltage is applied only to the latter one. The measured system is placed into a thermostat and the electric current flow through the reference electrode is measured as function of temperature. By assuming a model Hamiltonian for the probed sample describing ferromagnetic, superconducting or reentrant phase transitions and a one-band model for the contact electrode we calculate d.c. conductivity of the reference electrode. The temperature dependence of the conductivity of this electrode clearly indicates (in the form of kinks) the transition temperatures connected with phase transitions occurring in the investigated material. This is due to the fact that the chemical potential of the whole system in contact should equal at equilibrium. Our considerations suggest straightforward application of such a circuit in a direct laboratory praxis, especially because (beyond simplicity) the applied method possesses unlimited temperature range and can be considered as noninvasive with respect to the investigated sample. To verify the effect experimentally we have used as an investigated sample an antiferromagnetic Cr material and Cu as the reference electrode. The measurements of the resistivity R(Cr + Cu) and R(Cu) alone as functions of temperature made a possibility to plot the difference R(Cr + Cu) - R(Cu) vs temperature. This plot enabled to identify the critical Neel temperature of the Cr sample corresponding to the profound minimum in this curve.