  Compacted pellets of nanocrystalline nickel (NC-Ni) of average particle size
ranging from 18 to 33 nm were prepared using a variety of surfactants. They
were characterized well and were studied on the influence of the surfactants on
the electrical resistivity and thermopower in the temperature range 5 to 300 K.
It was found that the type of the surfactant used dominates over the average
particle size in their electrical transport and the detail transport behaviors
have been discussed. Moreover, the observed thermopower and resistivity
features were contrasting compared to what are normally seen in the well-known
materials. They are interpreted as indicative of attractive features these
surfactants for the design of nanostructured thermoelectric materials with
enhanced thermoelectric figure of merits.
