Origin of the low thermal conductivity and thermal properties of BaIn2Te4

Abstract

Materials research involving multinary chalcogenide compositions for technologically significant applications continues to attract attention, and an understanding of the thermal properties of materials is essential for all technologically significant applications. Herein we report on an investigation of the structure-thermal property relationship of BaIn 2 Te 4 and reveal the characteristics that govern the thermal properties of this ternary chalcogenide. Our analysis and modeling of the temperature-dependent thermal properties reveal a low speed of sound, low Debye temperature, and low thermal conductivity over a broad temperature range, attributable to lattice anharmonicity, large-mass constituent atoms and low-frequency optic modes. Our results provide new insights into the transport properties of the BaIn 2 Te 4 ternary chalcogenide and further expand the exploration of metal chalcogenides for applications of technological interest.