High-temperature electronic transport properties of (YCa)BaCo4O7 compounds Original Research Article

Y1−xCaxBaCo4O7 (0.0≤x≤1.0) samples were prepared by the solid-state reaction method and their high-temperature electronic transport properties were investigated in nitrogen and oxygen respectively. Phase structure of Y1−xCaxBaCo4O7 transforms from hexagonal symmetry for x ≤0.6 samples to orthorhombic symmetry for x≥0.8 samples. In nitrogen, Y1−xCaxBaCo4O7 samples evolve three kinds of electronic transport behaviors with the increase of Ca content: thermal activation conduction, small polaron hopping conduction, and a possible mixed conduction. Ca doping increases the hole concentration and thus decreases Seebeck coefficients. In oxygen, the temperature dependence of electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficients of Y1−xCaxBaCo4O7 samples displays similar change to their respective thermogravimetric curve, showing their electronic transport behavior under the control of their oxygen adsoption/desorption process.