Electron-transfer Phenomena in Some Three-dimensional Complex Thiocyanate Semiconductors

Measurements of the electrical conductivity, the photoconductivity, the electronic spectra, and the magnetic susceptibility were carried out with powder samples of CuHg(SCN)4 and (CuxZn1−x)Hg(SCN)4. The electrical conductivity (σ) of the compounds has been found to obey the usual exponential equation of electrical conduction, σ=σ0exp(−Et⁄KT). It was found that there was a close relation between the photocurrent spectra and the electron-transfer bands in both compounds. In terms of the band model, the nature of the semiconductivity and the photocurrent in their intrinsic region are discussed in connection with the electron-transfer phenomena.