Samples of indium-filled In_xCo₄Sb₁₂ skutterudite with ZT ∼ 1.5 were successfully synthesized by conventional induction melting without the use of evacuated quartz ampoules.

A dc method for thermopower (TP) measurements in magnetic fields up to 17 T in the temperature range from 3 K to 300 K is introduced. A special heating technique named ‘‘seesaw heating,’’ a method similar to ac methods, was developed and resulted in good thermal stability, better accuracy and a faster procedure. Chromel–constantan thermocouples were utilized for measuring probes because of small and simple temperature dependence of magnetic field effect. Finding an empirical formula for all the calibration curves of TP of Chromel enable us to measure TP at any field and at any temperature. Finally, the experimental results on ErCo₂ and LaRu₂ are presented as test examples to demonstrate the possibilities and accuracy of our setup.

The transport properties of Mg2 X0.4Sn0.6 ( X = Si, Ge) solid solutions are investigated. It is shown that these materials can be rendered p-type with a hole concentration of up to 4 × 1019 cm−3. The...