Structural and thermal transport properties of ZnxTe100-x (x=5, 10, 30 and 50) alloys

Measurements of effective thermal conductivity (lambda(e)) and effective thermal diffusivity (chi(e)) of twin pellets of Zn(x)Te(100-x) (x=5, 10, 30 and 50) chalcogenide materials, prepared under load of 5 tons (equivalent pressure approximate to 433 MPa) have been made Simultaneously at room temperature using transient plane source (TPS) technique. Specific heat per unit volume (C(p)) has also been determined from the so obtained data of lambda(e) and chi(e). The material has been prepared by melt quenching method. The results indicate that both the values of lambda(e) and chi(e) increase logarithmically with increasing Zn concentration. This behaviour of lambda(e) and chi(e) with zinc concentration can be explained by change of bond formation from covalent to ionic in this system. An effort has also been made to predict these values by an empirical relation. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies for structural investigation of ZnTe have also been carried out and found to be polycrystalline in nature. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.