Physical properties of strongly correlated low-charge-carrier-density materials

我们希望将约翰内斯堡大学物理系AM Strydom的金属样品合成专业知识与马克斯普朗克研究所（MPI）固体化学物理（CPfS）的N. Oeschler的物理表征专业知识结合起来，我们相信这是一个富有成果的合作的良好框架。我们的主要目标是寻找新的强相关电子系统，特别是具有低载流子密度的强相关电子系统。这种材料表现出一系列特殊的性质，如载流子的有效质量增强，物理性质的异常温度依赖性，具有非整数价的磁性阳离子以及在低温下的巨大热电效应。这种材料的分支在文献中研究较少，我们希望通过深入测量这些材料的温度和磁场依赖的物理性质来扩大对这类化合物的基本理解。此外，由于巨大的热电效应，相信这类材料有潜力发展成为高性能的固态热电冷却材料（Peltier冷却）。由于N. Oeschler在热电材料实验研究方面的专业知识和AM Strydom的合成专业知识，如果发现有前途的材料，我们能够对热电材料的潜力进行彻底的探索。

We want to converge the metallic sample synthesis expertise of AM Strydom, Physics Department, University of Johannesburg, with the physical characterization expertise of N. Oeschler, Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Chemical Physics of Solids (CPfS), which we believe is an excellent framework for a fruitful co-operation. Our primary goal is to search for new strongly correlated electron systems and in particular strongly correlated electron systems with low charge carrier density. Such materials exhibit an array of special properties, e. g. enhanced effective masses of the charge carriers, anomalous temperature dependencies of the physical properties, magnetic cations that have non-integer valence and a giant thermoelectric effect at low temperatures. This branch of materials has been less investigated in the literature and we want to broaden the fundamental understanding of this type of compounds, by doing in-depth measurements of temperature- and magnetic field-dependent physical properties on these materials. Furthermore, due to the giant thermoelectric effect it is believed that this type of materials have the potential to be developed into high-performance materials for solid state thermoelectric cooling (Peltier cooling). Because of the expertise of N. Oeschler within the experimental study of thermoelectric materials and the synthesis expertise of AM Strydom we are able to perform a thorough exploration of the potential as thermoelectric material if promising materials are found.