Conjectures on mixed conduction in an inhomogeneous sample as a possible explanation of the low-temperature resistance minimum of some amorphous metals

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Abstract
A simple model based on the effective-medium explanation of resistivity in amorphous materials is found to give a good fit to the observed low-temperature data for the resistance of several metallic glasses. The effective medium is constructed from a fraction that is metallic with a positive temperature coefficient and a fraction that is semiconducting in character with a negative temperature coefficient at low temperatures. The balance between the dependences on temperature of the two components can produce a minimum in the dependence on temperature of the resistivity if the correct proportions of the two components are mixed together.