Order–disorder transition and Fano-interference in thermoelectric Cu3SbSe3 nanoparticles

Abstract Temperature dependent Raman scattering measurements were carried out to investigate the phonon behavior of thermoelectric Cu 3 SbSe 3 nanoparticles. The anomalous behavior of phonon mode ( A g ) frequency with temperature indicates the possibility of a lattice instability related to the order–disorder structural transition at 380 K. In the low temperature region (80–250 K) we found an asymmetric line shape of A g mode, which is analyzed and discussed in the light of phonon–continuum Fano-interference effect. We have obtained the thermal conductivity ( κ ) ∼ 2.04 W/mK at room temperature. The change in thermal conductivity with temperature strongly correlates with the change in total anharmonicity of the Cu 3 SbSe 3 lattice.