Lattice dynamics and thermal conductivity of calcium fluoride via first-principles investigation

Abstract

The lattice thermal conductivity of CaF2 is accurately computed from a first-principles theoretical approach based on an iterative solution of the Boltzmann transport equation. The second- and third-order interatomic force constants are generated from a real-space finite-difference supercell approach. Then, the force constants for both the second- and third-order potential interactions are used to calculate the lattice thermal conductivity and related physical quantities of CaF2 at temperatures ranging from 30 K to 1500 K. The obtained lattice thermal conductivity 8.6 W/(m·K) for CaF2 at room temperature agrees better with the experimental value than other theoretical data, demonstrating the promise of this parameter-free approach in providing precise descriptions of the lattice thermal conductivity of materials. The obtained dielectric parameters and phonon spectrum of CaF2 accord well with available data. Meanwhile, the temperature dependence curves of the lattice thermal conductivity, heat capacity, and phonon mean free path are presented.