Metal-insulator transition in whiskers of the NbS3 quasi-one-dimensional conductor under pressure

The effect of pressure on the conduction of the NbS3 quasi-one-dimensional conductor is studied. A pressure-induced insulator-metal transition is observed. The transition is accompanied by an increase in conductivity by six orders of magnitude at room temperature. Under pressures of 3–4 GPa, an additional phase transition appears in the temperature dependences of resistance. This transition manifests itself in an increase in the local conduction activation energy. The quantity dln(R)/d(1/T) reaches its maximum under pressures of 4–5 GPa, and the temperature position of the maximum of dln(R)/d(1/T) depends on the pressure as T* ≈ 7.5P + 202 K.