Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Shiga, Takuma, Mizuguchi, Yoshikazu, Fujihisa, Hiroshi
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.01766
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866909981250420736
author Shiga, Takuma
Mizuguchi, Yoshikazu
Fujihisa, Hiroshi
author_facet Shiga, Takuma
Mizuguchi, Yoshikazu
Fujihisa, Hiroshi
contents Indium iodides, which adopt layered or molecular-crystal-like arrangements depending on composition, are expected to exhibit low lattice thermal conductivity because of their heavy constituent atoms and weak In-I bonding. In this work, we employed first-principles anharmonic lattice dynamics calculations to systematically investigate phonon transport in indium iodides from particle- and wave-like perspectives. The calculated lattice thermal conductivities of both materials remained below 1 W/m-K over a broad temperature range. Notably, the influence of wave-like phonon transport differed by composition: in InI3, the wave-like contribution became comparable to the particle-like Peierls contribution, whereas it remained negligible in InI. We also investigated the thermal transport properties of the experimentally reported high-pressure phase of InI3. Motivated by experimental indications of stacking faults and partial disorder in indium site occupancy within the rhombohedral phase, we constructed several ordered structural models with different stacking sequences. These stacking sequences exhibited no significant energetic preference and had similar lattice thermal conductivities, suggesting that in-plane thermal transport is largely governed by the vibrational properties of the In2I6 layers themselves rather than by the specific stacking sequence. These findings provide insight into phonon transport in layered and molecular-crystal systems with structural complexity and contribute to a broader understanding of thermal transport mechanisms in layered and molecular-crystal-like materials.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_01766
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Anharmonic lattice dynamics study of phonon transport in layered and molecular-crystal indium iodides
Shiga, Takuma
Mizuguchi, Yoshikazu
Fujihisa, Hiroshi
Materials Science
Indium iodides, which adopt layered or molecular-crystal-like arrangements depending on composition, are expected to exhibit low lattice thermal conductivity because of their heavy constituent atoms and weak In-I bonding. In this work, we employed first-principles anharmonic lattice dynamics calculations to systematically investigate phonon transport in indium iodides from particle- and wave-like perspectives. The calculated lattice thermal conductivities of both materials remained below 1 W/m-K over a broad temperature range. Notably, the influence of wave-like phonon transport differed by composition: in InI3, the wave-like contribution became comparable to the particle-like Peierls contribution, whereas it remained negligible in InI. We also investigated the thermal transport properties of the experimentally reported high-pressure phase of InI3. Motivated by experimental indications of stacking faults and partial disorder in indium site occupancy within the rhombohedral phase, we constructed several ordered structural models with different stacking sequences. These stacking sequences exhibited no significant energetic preference and had similar lattice thermal conductivities, suggesting that in-plane thermal transport is largely governed by the vibrational properties of the In2I6 layers themselves rather than by the specific stacking sequence. These findings provide insight into phonon transport in layered and molecular-crystal systems with structural complexity and contribute to a broader understanding of thermal transport mechanisms in layered and molecular-crystal-like materials.
title Anharmonic lattice dynamics study of phonon transport in layered and molecular-crystal indium iodides
topic Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.01766