Properties of single crystalline AZn2Sb2 (A=Ca,Eu,Yb)

TL;DR

This study investigates the properties of single crystalline AZn2Sb2 compounds, confirming intrinsic p-type conductivity, magnetic ordering in EuZn2Sb2, and lattice dynamics, providing insights into their thermoelectric potential.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed characterization of single crystalline AZn2Sb2 (A=Ca, Eu, Yb), including transport, magnetic, and lattice properties, highlighting inherent material behaviors.

Findings

Carrier concentrations are intrinsic and consistent with polycrystalline data.

EuZn2Sb2 exhibits antiferromagnetic transition near 13 K.

CaZn2Sb2 has the highest Debye temperature and lowest mobility.

Abstract

Single crystals of CaZn2Sb2, EuZn2Sb2, and YbZn2Sb2 were grown from melts of nominal composition AZn5Sb5 (A=Ca,Eu,Yb) with the excess melt being removed at 1073\,K. The electrical transport properties are consistent with those previously reported for polycrystalline samples. This confirms that the $p$-type carrier concentrations ranging from 2x10^{19}cm^{-3} to ~1x10^{20}cm^{-3} are intrinsic to these materials. Also consistent with transport in polycrystalline materials, the carrier mobility is found to be lowest in CaZn2Sb2, suggesting the trends in mobility and thermoelectric efficiency within these compounds are inherent to the material systems and not due to inhomogeneity or impurities in polycrystalline samples. These results suggest CaZn2Sb2 has the strongest coupling between the doping/defects and the electronic framework. Magnetization measurements reveal an antiferromagnetic transition near 13\,K in EuZn2Sb2, and the observed magnetic anisotropy indicates the spins align parallel and anti-parallel to $c$ in the trigonal lattice. Powder neutron diffraction on polycrystalline samples of CaZn2Sb2 and YbZn2Sb2 reveals smooth lattice expansion to 1000\,K, with $c$ expanding faster than $a$. The Debye temperatures calculated from specific heat capacity data and the isotropic displacement parameters are found to correlate with the carrier mobility, with the CaZn2Sb2 displaying the largest Debye temperature and smallest mobility.