Electrical Resistivity and Thermoelectric Power of Stacking Faults in Gold

Pure gold wires are quenched from high temperatures into iced brine and the changes of electrical resistivity and thermoelectric power are measured simultaneously during isochronal annealing. Two recovery stages are found: the first one (at 50 °C) corresponds to vacancy clustering with the formation of stacking‐fault tetrahedra, the second one (at 650 °C) corresponds to the dissolution of the tetrahedra. It is found that the electrical resistivity due to stacking faults is Q S = (1.0 ± 0.2) × 10 −13 Ωcm 2 and the change of thermoelectric power per unit density of stacking faults Δ S S /β = (−2.9 ± 0.3) × 10 −14 Vcm/°K. Stacking faults, like vacancies, reduce the absolute thermoelectric power of gold. This behaviour is contrary to the effect of dislocations, which increase the thermoelectric power.