Anisotropic transport in the quasi-one-dimensional semiconductor Li0.33MoO3

Transport measurements (electrical resistivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity) in the temperature range 80–500 K are presented for single crystals of the quasi-one-dimensional (Q1D) semiconductor Li0.33MoO3. Opposite signs are observed for the Seebeck coefficient along the trinclinic a and c axes, with Sc Sa ’ 250 lV/K near room temperature and ’100 lV/K at 380 K. The thermal conductivity at room temperature in the a-c planes was 2 W/m K and 10 times smaller along b*. A weak structural anomaly at Ts 355 K, identified in the temperaturedependent lattice constants, coincides with anomalies in the electrical properties. Analysis of the electronic transport at T>Ts favors an intrinsic semiconductor picture for transport along the most conducting Q1D axis and small-polaronic transport along the other directions, providing insight into the origin of the Seebeck anisotropy. VC 2016 AIP Publishing LLC. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4943071]