Heat Capacity of Indium or Gallium Sesqui-Chalcogenides

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Solid-state Chemistry
• Thermodynamics

Background:

• Chalcogenides of p-block elements are vital for electronic and optoelectronic devices due to high carrier mobility and tunable band gaps.
• Diverse structures exist, including 2D materials like Indium Selenide (In2Se3).
• Sesqui-chalcogenides offer significant potential for next-generation technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize indium and gallium sesqui-chalcogenides.
• To investigate the thermodynamic properties of these materials.
• To provide essential data for the advancement of semiconductor materials.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis via direct reaction of high-purity elements in a quartz ampoule.
• Phase composition confirmed by X-ray diffraction.
• Morphology, chemical composition, and structure analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy.
• Thermodynamic properties determined through low-temperature heat capacity measurements and Tian-Calvet calorimetry.
• Enthalpy of formation assessed using Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized and confirmed single-phase indium and gallium sesqui-chalcogenides.
• Characterized material morphology, chemical composition, and structure.
• Obtained low-temperature heat capacity data to calculate standard entropies.
• Determined the temperature dependence of heat capacity and enthalpy of formation.

Conclusions:

• The study provides comprehensive thermodynamic data for indium and gallium sesqui-chalcogenides.
• This data is crucial for understanding material stability and predicting performance in electronic applications.
• The findings contribute to the development of novel semiconductor materials.