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Abstract

A systematic investigation on tuning the charge carrier concentration by substitution of the Ru position in RuIn3 is performed. Samples with nominal composition Ru0.95T0.05In3 (T = Re, Rh, Ir) were synthesized via liquid-solid-reaction and subsequent spark plasma sintering treatment. The chemical composition was characterized by X-ray, metallographic and microstructure analysis revealing solid solutions in the samples with Rh and Ir, whereas Re cannot be incorporated in RuIn3. Minor oxide impurities in the commercially available starting elements, the homogeneity range of RuIn3 and the redox potentials of the participating elements are the key for interpreting the observed lattice parameters and the corresponding composition. Both, substitutions with Rh or Ir and Re inclusions in RuIn3 lead independently to a significant decrease of the total thermal conductivity down to approximately one half of the value observed for binary RuIn3, prepared with commercially available starting materials. The electrical resistivity was reduced by substitution and the temperature dependence changes from semiconductor-like, for RuIn3, to metal-like in the substitution derivatives. At the same time the sign change in the thermopower at high temperatures, characteristic for binary RuIn3, is suppressed, attaining only electrons as majority carriers. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.