# Thermal, vibrational, and electrical properties of high-purity Ag₂Te for advanced applications

## TL;DR

This paper studies the thermal, vibrational, and electrical properties of high-purity Ag₂Te single crystals for potential advanced applications.

## Contribution

The study presents high-purity Ag₂Te single crystals with improved thermoelectric performance and detailed structural and transport properties.

## Key findings

- XRD analysis confirmed a monoclinic crystal structure with lattice parameters a = 0.8165 nm and β = 112.81°.
- TGA and Raman spectroscopy provided insights into thermal decomposition, phase transitions, and vibrational properties of Ag₂Te.
- Electrical conductivity studies revealed frequency-dependent conduction mechanisms and temperature influence in p-type Ag₂Te.

## Abstract

High-purity Ag2Te single crystals grown via automated programmable furnace (1263 K, controlled cooling) yield superior phase purity and thermoelectric performance. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the powdered Ag2Te sample confirmed a monoclinic crystal structure at ambient temperature. The refined lattice parameters were determined to be a = 0.8165 nm and β = 112.81°. Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) has proven to be a valuable tool for studying the thermal behavior of Ag2Te. It has provided insights into the decomposition process and phase transitions of this material. However, further research is needed to address remaining gaps in knowledge and explore the potential applications of thermal analysis for optimizing the performance of Ag2Te in various applications. Raman spectroscopy analysis used as a tool for studying the vibrational properties of Ag2Te. It has provided insights into the structure, phase transition and bonding characteristics of this material. Ac conductivity studies have provided valuable insights into the electrical transport properties of Ag2Te. They have revealed the frequency dependent nature of the conductivity, identified the dominant conduction mechanisms and highlighted the influence of various factors such as temperature. Investigations were conducted on the p-type semiconductor Ag₂Te over an extensive temperature range of 163 K to 520 K.