Thermal Conductivity of Ce2Ru3Ga9 Compound

The Ce-based 2:3:9 series of compounds are known for strongly correlated 4f-electron behaviour. Here, we report for the first time a study of the thermal conductivity κ(T) in zero and 9 T magnetic field for Ce2Ru3Ga9 across the temperature range 2 K ≤ T ≤ 300 K. The zero-field temperature dependence of κ(T) exhibits a pronounced maximum, characteristic for metals with large electronic mean free path and towards room temperature κ(T) starts behaving in a manner usually attributed to the enhanced electronphonon coupling. Based on the WiedemannFranz law the electronic and lattice contributions to the thermal conductivity were estimated. In high temperature region a distinct step-like anomaly at T ∗ = 203 K has been observed which signals a putative phase transition, probably of phononic or lattice origin. We furthermore discuss the effect of applied magnetic fields on the thermal transport in Ce2Ru3Ga9