The fields of nonlinear optics, photovoltaics, and thermoelectrics have been strongly impacted by materials research, and quaternary chalcogenides are one general class of materials that has recently generated strong interest. An understanding of the thermal properties is paramount in these and other applications of interest. The thermal properties of BaCdSnSe4, a quaternary chalcogenide that is of interest for applications in nonlinear optics, are reported. Specifically, the thermal conductivity over a large temperature range and heat capacity are evaluated in light of the structural features of this material. Low thermal conductivity results from the complex unit cell as well as local dynamic disorder from Cd in the CdSe4tetrahedra in the crystal structure. The results and analyses reported herein are presented to enhance the fundamental understanding of the thermal properties of these materials, and can be related and applied to other quaternary chalcogenides that are of interest for energy‐related applications.
Temperature‐dependent thermal properties of phase‐pure polycrystalline ternary chalcogenides Cu4Bi4S9and Cu4Bi4Se9are reported. The structure and bonding in these materials result in very low thermal conductivity values (<0.8 W m−1 K−1at room temperature) for both materials. The lattice contribution, Debye temperatures, and Sommerfeld coefficient are obtained from low‐temperature heat capacity data that also indicate very small electronic contributions to the heat capacity for these materials. This study aids in the identification of new nontoxic, earth‐abundant resistive ternary chalcogenide materials with low thermal conductivity for potential thermal barrier coating and rewriteable storage applications.
- Award ID(s):
- 1748188
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10156270
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- physica status solidi (RRL) – Rapid Research Letters
- Volume:
- 14
- Issue:
- 8
- ISSN:
- 1862-6254
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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