Transport Properties of Sodium close to the Melting Point

Abstract
Close to the melting point the thermal conductivity and the electrical resistivity of sodium (99.99 at.% with 100 and 200 ppm potassium) were measured simultaneously in the same sample. A steep rise was found in the thermal conductivity whereas the electrical resistivity showed no departure from the expected behavior. Also no difference could be detected between the polycrystalline and single-crystalline samples. The results are discussed in terms of the impurity content, of a pure-first-order transition, and of an instability point of the solid state. Some arguments are given to support the instability hypotheses.

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