Transport properties and the metal–insulator transition of PrRu4P12 single crystal

We report the first successful growth of a high-quality single crystal by the flux method, and the measurement of its electrical resistivity and magnetoresistance (MR), for the filled skutterudite PrRu4P12, which exhibits a metal–insulator (M–I) transition below TMI 63 K. In zero magnetic field, the resistivity increases from that of the metallic state below 63 K, mirroring the M–I transition, shows a shoulder at around 30 K with a further increase beyond it, and then slowly decreases, showing a faint peak at around 0.6 K. In magnetic fields, the resistivity decreases drastically at low temperatures, i.e., a large negative MR appears, and the peak shifts to higher temperatures, although the field effect is only slight above 7 K.

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