Electrical Conduction in Pure and Li-Substituted Co3O4

Electrical conductivity and thermoelectric power measurements on pure and Li-substituted Co₃O₄ were performed at 200° to 900°C. Impurity-induced p-type semiconduction was observed at low temperatures and intrinsic behavior at high temperatures. A hopping scheme for electron hole conduction was confirmed, and site exchange of cations in the spinel structure was proposed to explain the electrical conduction at high temperatures.