Large thermoelectric power in<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:msub><mml:mrow><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">NaCo</mml:mi></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:msub></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:msub><mml:mrow><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">O</mml:mi></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>4</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:msub></mml:mrow></mml:math>single crystals

Abstract

We measured and analyzed the transport properties of single-crystal ${\mathrm{NaCo}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}$, which is a metallic transition-metal oxide consisting of a two-dimensional triangle lattice of Co. Reflecting the crystal structure, the resistivity is highly anisotropic between in- and out-of-plane directions, and the in-plane resistivity is as low as 200 $\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\Omega}$ cm at 300 K. Most strikingly, the in-plane thermoelectric power of ${\mathrm{NaCo}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ is about 100 $\ensuremath{\mu}$V/K at 300 K, which is nearly ten times larger than that of typical metals. The large thermoelectric power and the low resistivity suggest that ${\mathrm{NaCo}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ is a potential thermoelectric material.