The cylindrical approximation originally proposed by Pippard for the λ-transitions in one-component systems is extended to multicomponent systems. The application of the generalised Pippard relations to binary liquid mixtures is considered. The relations for He³ + He⁴ mixtures are shown to be equivalent to those obtained by earlier workers. The validity of the relation relating specific heat and thermal expansion for binary liquid systems is discussed on the basis of the measurements performed on the system methaonl +n-heptane. Lack of information on the behaviour of a few quantities prevents a quantitative test of the relation.

Electrical resistance measurements are reported on the binary liquid mixtures CS₂ + CH₃CN and CS₂ + CH₃NO₂ with special reference to the critical region. Impurity conduction seems to be the dominant mechanism for charge transport. For the liquid mixture filled at the critical composition, the resistance of the system aboveT_c follows the relationR=R_c−A(T−T_c)^b withb=0·6±0·1. BelowT_c the conductivities of the two phases obey a relation σ₂−σ₁=B(T_c−T)^β with β=0·34±0·02, the exponent of the transport coefficient being the same as the exponent of the order parameter, an equilibrium property.

Electrical resistivity studies of the charge transfer complex benzidine—TCNQ and its inclusion compound, have been carried out up to pressures 8 GPa. Two types of behaviour were observed in these complexes under high pressure and this difference is interpreted and discussed.

The elastic constants of single crystal galena have been determined from the measured ultrasonic velocities down to liquid helium temperature. A cryostat incorporating an arrangement to inject the liquid bonding material at low temperature is described. At 5 K, the values of elastic constants are C₁₁=14.9₀, C₁₂=3.5₁ and C₄₄=2.9₂×10¹⁰ N/m².

The current voltage characteristics ofo-tolidine-iodine, with stoichiometry 1:1 grown from benzene, have been studied under high pressures upto 6 GPa atT=300 K andT=77 K. The characteristics show a pronounced deviation from ohmicity beyond a certain current for all pressures studied. At room temperature, beyond a threshold field the system switches from a low conductingOFF state to a high conductingON state with σ_ON/σ_OFF ∼ 10³. TheOFF state can be restored by the application of an a.c. pulse of low frequency. The temperature dependence of the two states studied indicates that theOFF state is semiconducting while theON state, beyond a certain applied pressure is metallic. The characteristics atT=77 K do not show any switching.

The construction of a three-terminal capacitance cell and a bath type cryostat to measure thermal expansion of solids in the temperature range 77 K to 350 K is described. Calculation of the thermal expansion coefficients by using spline approximation is discussed along with the various errors involved in the measurement. The capacitance cell is calibrated by using aluminium and germanium as standard reference materials. The cell has an accuracy of 4% in the measurement of thermal expansion coefficient and a resolution of 1 Å change in length of sample of length 1 cm.

Electrical switching has been observed ino-tolidine-DDQ at pressures of 7.66 GPa and fields ∼3×10⁵V/m withσ_ON/σ_OFF≈10³ at a temperature of 300 K. The switching is found to be of the memory type and the sample can be driven back to the low conducting state by applying ac pulses of sufficient magnitude but independent of frequency.

Annealing dependence of the lattice parameter, resistivity, magnetoresistance and thermopower have been studied on Nd_0.7-Sr_0.33MnO₃ thin films deposited on LaAlO₃ and alumina substrates by pulsed laser ablation. Upon annealing at 800°C and 1000°C the lattice constant of the LaAlO₃ film tends toward that of the bulk target due to reduction in oxygen vacancies. This results in a metal-insulator transition at temperatures which increase with progressive annealing along with a decrease in the observed low temperature MR. Using a magnon scattering model we estimate the e_g bandwidth of the film annealed at 1000°C and show that the magnon contribution to the resistivity is suppressed in a highly oxygen deficient film and gains prominence only upon subsequent annealing. We also show that upon annealing, the polaron concentration and the spin cluster size increases in the paramagnetic phase, using an adiabatic polaron hopping model which takes into account an exchange dependent activation energy above the resistivity peak.