Thermal properties of Nb₂SnC

In this article we report on the thermal properties of the ternary carbide Nb₂SnC. Its heat capacity, c_p, is 75 J/mol K at ambient temperatures and increases to ≈115 J/mol K at 1300 K. Analysis of c_p measurements in the 4-15 K temperature range yields a Debye temperature of 324 K and a density of states at the Fermi level of 2.66 (eV unit cell)^-1. At room temperature, the thermal conductivity is 17 W/m K and it increases to ≈31 W/mK at 1500 K. At temperatures greater than 600 K, roughly 85% of the heat is transported by electronic defects (i.e., electrons and/or holes). The thermal properties of Nb₂SnC are quite comparable to those of near-stoichiometric NbC_x.