Insulator-to-metal transition and large thermoelectric effect in La$_{1-x}$Sr$_{x}$MnAsO

We report the Sr substitution effect in an antiferromagnetic insulator LaMnAsO. The Sr doping limit is $xsim$ 0.10 under the synthesis conditions, as revealed by x-ray diffractions indicate. Upon Sr doping, the room-temperature resistivity drops by five orders of magnitude down to $sim$0.01 $Omegacdot$cm, and the temperature dependence of resistivity shows essentially metallic behavior for $xgeq$0.08. Hall and Seebeck measurements confirm consistently that the insulator-to-metal transition is due to hole doping. Strikingly, the room-temperature Seebeck coefficient for the metallic samples is as high as $sim240 mu$V/K, making the system as a possible candidate for thermoelectric applications.