Heat Capacity of Indium or Gallium Sesqui-Chalcogenides

The chalcogenides of p-block elements constitute a significant category of materials with substantial potential for advancing the field of electronic and optoelectronic devices. This is attributed to their exceptional characteristics, including elevated carrier mobility and the ability to fine-tune band gaps through solid solution formation. These compounds exhibit diverse structures, encompassing both three-dimensional and two-dimensional configurations, the latter exemplified by the compound In₂Se₃. Sesqui-chalcogenides were synthesized through the direct reaction of highly pure elements within a quartz ampoule. Their single-phase composition was confirmed using X-ray diffraction, and the morphology and chemical composition were characterized using scanning electron microscopy. The compositions of all six materials were also confirmed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. This investigation delves into the thermodynamic properties of indium and gallium sesqui-chalcogenides. It involves low-temperature heat capacity measurements to evaluate standard entropies and Tian-Calvet calorimetry to elucidate the temperature dependence of heat capacity beyond the reference temperature of 298.15 K, as well as the enthalpy of formation assessed from DFT calculations.