Thermal conductivity of the As x S100– x glass system at low temperatures

The temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity k(T) of the AsxS100-x glass system was studied down to 1.8 K in a wide range of various (x = 20, 28.6, 40, 45, and 50) compositions. Universal glass anomalies in k(T) were revealed. The temperature dependence k(T) ∼ T2 onset at the lowest temperatures and plateau below 15 K were detected. The plateau formation is sample quality sensitive and composition-dependent. It was experimentally found that even with a slow cooling rate, several samples were cracked. Depending on the sample damage, the additional internal scattering process leads to the k(T) plateau suppression. The observed k(T) temperature dependence is similar to the glassy ceramics-like behavior.