Transport and Magnetic Studies of New Mixed-Valence Compounds: K$\text{}_{3}$Cu$\text{}_{8}$Se$\text{}_{6}$, KCu$\text{}_{3}$Se$\text{}_{2}$, K$\text{}_{3}$Cu$\text{}_{8}$Te$\text{}_{6}$ and BaCuS$\text{}_{3-x}$

Abstract

New mixed-valent copper chalcogenides BaCuS$\text{}_{3-x}$ and K$\text{}_{3}$Cu$\text{}_{8}$X$\text{}_{6}$ with X=Se or Te and KCu$\text{}_{3}$Se$\text{}_{2}$, with chemical patterns corresponding to the recently investigated K$\text{}_{3}$Cu$\text{}_{8}$S$\text{}_{6}$ and KCu$\text{}_{3}$S$\text{}_{2}$, were synthesized. For these new samples the results of resistivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements are presented. For BaCuS$\text{}_{3-x}$, K$\text{}_{3}$Cu$\text{}_{8}$Se$\text{}_{6}$ and KCu$\text{}_{3}$Se$\text{}_{2}$ the metal-insulator transition is observed with the low temperature phase being metallic, which is untypical, whereas K$\text{}_{3}$Cu$\text{}_{8}$Te$\text{}_{6}$ is a metal in the investigated temperature range. The temperature dependence of magnetic susceptibility of the studied samples testifies to their diamagnetic or weakly paramagnetic behaviour