ELECTRONIC TRANSPORT BEHAVIORS DUE TO CHARGE DENSITY WAVES IN Ni–Nb–Zr–H GLASSY ALLOYS

Abstract

The amorphous Ni – Nb – Zr – H glassy alloy containing subnanometer-sized icosahedral Zr 5 Nb 5 Ni 3 clusters exhibited four types of electronic phenomena: a metal/insulator transition, an electric current-induced voltage oscillation (Coulomb oscillation), giant capacitor behavior and an electron avalanche with superior resistivity. These findings could be excluded by charge density waves that the low-dimensional component of clusters, in which the atoms are lined up in chains along the [130] direction, plays important roles in various electron transport phenomena.