Abstract
The phonon dispersions and scattering rates of the thermoelectric material AgSbTe$_{2}$ were measured as a function of temperature with inelastic neutron scattering. The results show that phonon scattering rates are large and weakly dependent on temperature. The lattice thermal conductivity was calculated from the measured phonon lifetimes and group velocities, providing good agreement with bulk transport measurements. The measured phonon scattering rates and their temperature dependence are compared with models of phonon scattering by anharmonicity and point defect. We find that these processes cannot account for the large total phonon scattering rates observed, and their lack of temperature dependence. Neutron and synchrotron diffraction measurements on single crystals revealed an extensive nanostructure from cation ordering, which is likely responsible for the strong phonon scattering.
