Measurement of the thermoelectric power of very small samples at ambient and high pressures

There is currently much interest in the thermoelectric properties of materials. A method for measuring the thermoelectric power of small single-crystal or polycrystalline samples is described. For high-pressure measurements, the small samples are loaded into a diamond anvil cell and compressed. An infrared laser system is used to induce a temperature gradient in the sample. The thermoelectric power is measured with a pair of small thermocouples contacting the sample. Reported here is the thermoelectric power of Ni and the previously reported intermetallic compound CePd₃ up to 10 GPa. Other standards measured by this method included: Bi, Yb, and CeSn₃.