Heat capacity and microhardness of the topological crystalline insulator Pb₁₋ₓSnₓTe near the band inversion composition

Abstract

The goal of the present work is to reveal effects accompanying the band inversion in Pb₁₋ₓSnₓTe solid solutions by measuring heat capacity and microhardness. The objects of the study are Pb₁₋ₓSnₓTe alloys with Sn concentrations in the range of x = (0.59 – 0.68), near the composition corresponding to the transition to a gapless state close to room temperature. It was established that in the Pb₁₋ₓSnₓTe solid solutions, the transition to the bulk gapless state with the band inversion is manifested through the appearance of peaks in the dependences of specific heat and microhardness on composition at a fixed temperature.