Thermal expansion and kinetic coefficients of crystals

Electrical (ρ) and thermal (W) resistivities and thermal expansion coefficient (β) of Cu, Zn, Al, Pb, Ni, β-brass, Al2O3, NaCl, Si, SiO2(∥), and SiO2(⊥) were simultaneously measured with standard four-probe, absolute steady-state, and quartz dilatometer techniques. Measurements of Ni and β-brass were performed at temperatures from 300 to 1100 K and measurements of all other samples were made between 90 and 500 K. This temperature range includes the range below and above the Debye temperature (TD). The total uncertainties of the specific electrical and thermal resistivities and thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) measurements are 0.5%, 3.0%, and (1.5–4.0%), respectively. The universal linear relationship between the electrical and thermal resistivities and βΤ   over the wide temperature range was found experimentally. Using the Landau criterion for convection development for ideal phonon and electron gases in the solids, the universal relations, ρph/ρ*≡βTρph/ρ*≡βT and Wph/W*≡βTWph/W*≡βT (where ρph is the phonon electrical resistivity, ρ*=eE˜/Jcpτϕ is the characteristic electrical resistivity, Wph is the phonon thermal resistivity, and W*=kBG/qcpW*=kBG/qcp is the characteristic thermal resistivity) between relative phonon electrical and phonon thermal resistivities and βΤ were derived. The derived universal relations provide a new method for estimating the kinetic coefficients (electrical and thermal resistivities) from TEC measurements.