A TECHNIQUE FOR RAPID MEASUREMENT OF THERMOELECTRIC POWER

A new technique is described for rapid measurement of the thermoelectric power of rod-shaped specimens over a wide temperature range. The apparatus utilizes sensitive commercial dc amplifier for the sample and temperature gradient voltages and a multiple-point recorder for sampling these voltages as well as the sample temperature signal. The technique eliminates spurious thermal emf's in the leads and is based upon on-the-run recording of the sample and temperature gradient voltages as the temperature gradient slowly increases. As a test of this technique, the thermopower of pure nickel was measured between 4.2 and 300 K and the results are compared with other measurements using conventional techniques. © 1969 The American Institute of Physics.