Anderson localization of electrons in single crystals: Li (x) Fe(7)Se(8).

ABSTRACT: Anderson (disorder-induced) localization, proposed more than half a century ago, has inspired numerous efforts to explore the absence of wave diffusions in disordered media. However, the proposed disorder-induced metal-insulator transition (MIT), associated with the nonpropagative electron waves, has hardly been observed in three-dimensional (3D) crystalline materials, let alone single crystals. We report the observation of an MIT in centimeter-size single crystals of Li x Fe7Se8 induced by lattice disorder. Both specific heat and infrared reflectance measurements reveal the presence of considerable electronic states in the vicinity of the Fermi level when the MIT occurs, suggesting that the transition is not due to Coulomb repulsion mechanism. The 3D variable range hopping regime evidence

SUBMITTER: Ying T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4788481 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature