Packing
mode of the molecules in materials has a great influence
on materials’ physical and chemical properties. Herein, we
investigated three metal squarate frameworks (Zn_sq_C, Cd_sq_C, and
Cd_sq_R) with similar crystal structures. While owing to the difference
in the packing mode of the squarate ligand, two kinds of structures
can be achieved (cubic phase and trigonal phase). Synchrotron powder
X-ray diffraction analyses show that the three compounds exhibit dramatically
different thermal expansion behaviors, including positive thermal
expansion (PTE), zero thermal expansion (ZTE), and negative thermal
expansion (NTE). By directly structural comparison, it is found that,
owing to the unique “eclipsed packing mode”, the trigonal
phase (Cd_sq_R) can undergo a “wine-rack” distortion
upon heating, which makes a great contribution to the NTE behavior,
while this “wine-rack” distortion is forbidden in the
“staggered packing” cubic phase. Furthermore, single-crystal
X-ray diffraction and synchrotron X-ray total scattering analyses
shed light on that the difference in magnitude of rotation of the
squarate ligand may be responsible for the different thermal expansion
behaviors. The present study shows how the proper alignment of the
building blocks can be used to tailor materials’ thermal expansion
behavior and can provide guidance for the rational design of novel
NTE or ZTE materials.