Phonon dispersions measurements of a high-entropy GeTe-based thermoelectrics with glass-like lattice thermal conductivity

GeTe-based high entropy alloys harbor good electron transport and exhibit glass-like ultralow lattice thermal conductivity, leading to excellent thermoelectric performance. So far, most efforts have been made to improve the TE performance in the system. Still, the microscopic mechanism of the disordered arrangement of atoms, phonon properties, and thermal conductivity has rarely been explicitly explored. Here, we propose to employ the MERLIN spectrometer to run a full map of the phonon dispersion for a high-entropy GeTe compound. Together with powder diffraction measurement and first-principle simulation, it is expected to shed light on the complex mechanism for the effects of high-entropy structure on lattice thermal conductivity.