Isotope Effects in Thermal Diffusivity and Electrical Resistivity of Zirconium Hydride and Deuteride

Thermal diffusivities of ε-phase zirconium hydride and deuteride (ε-ZrHx and ε-ZrDx: x = 1.69–1.99) have been measured at the temperatures from room temperature to 600 K by means of a laser-flash method. The hydrogen concentration and temperature dependences on the thermal conductivities of ε-ZrHx and ε-ZrDx have been estimated from the experimental results of the thermal diffusivity and the literature data of the specific heat and the density. It has been found that the thermal conductivity of ε-ZrHx is higher compared with that of ε-ZrDx. In order to understand the isotope effect of the thermal conductivity, the electrical resistivities of ε-ZrHx and ε-ZrDx have been measured using a four-contact DC method and their electrical conductivities have been obtained. Based on the Wiedemann-Franz rule, the comparison between the thermal and electrical conductivities shows that the electronic heat conduction is dominant for ε-ZrHx and ε-ZrDx at high temperatures around 600 K and the isotope difference in the thermal conductivity for x >1.8 is due to the difference in the electron-phonon scattering by optical mode.