Thermopower of several ternary compounds of cerium and uranium: CeTX and UTX (T ≡ Ni, Pd or Pt; X ≡ In or Sn)

We have measured the thermopower S, from 2 to 300 K, of several ternary compounds of cerium and uranium: CeTX and UTX with T ≡ transition metals Ni, Pd or Pt and with X ≡ In or Sn. The behaviour of S for these cerium compounds seems to be capable of interpretation as due to the strength of the hybridisation of the Ce 4f electron with conduction electrons. On the other hand, the behaviour of S for the uranium compounds changes enormously for each compound. Prominently sharp peaks of S as a function of temperature were observed both for UNiSn near its semiconductor-to-metal transition temperature and for CeNiSn near its metal-to-semiconductor transition temperature. (author)