Publication Type
Journal
Journal Name
Journal of Applied Physics
Publication Date
Page Number
193515
Volume
115
Issue
19
Abstract
The heat capacity of natural (Cu12-x (Fe, Zn, Ag)x(Sb, As)4S13) and synthetic (Cu12-xZnxSb4S13 with x=0, 1, 2) tetrahedrite compounds was measured between 2K and 380K. It was found that the temperature dependence of the heat capacity can be described using a Debye term and three Einstein oscillators with characteristic temperatures that correspond to energies of ~1.0 meV, ~2.8 meV and ~8.4 meV. The existence of localized vibration modes, which are assigned to the displacements of the trigonally coordinated Cu atoms in the structure, is discussed in the context of anharmonicity and its effect on the low lattice thermal conductivity exhibited by these compounds.
