Zero Thermal Expansion in a Nanostructured Inorganic-Organic Hybrid Crystal

Abstract

There are very few materials that exhibit zero thermal expansion (ZTE), and of these even fewer are appropriate for electronic and optoelectronic applications. We find that a multifunctional crystalline hybrid inorganic-organic semiconductor, beta-ZnTe(en)(0.5) (en denotes ethylenediamine), shows uniaxial ZTE in a very broad temperature range of 4-400 K, and concurrently possesses superior electronic and optical properties. The ZTE behavior is a result of compensation of contraction and expansion of different segments along the inorganic-organic stacking axis. This work suggests an alternative route to designing materials in a nanoscopic scale with ZTE or any desired positive or negative thermal expansion (PTE or NTE), which is supported by preliminary data for ZnTe(pda)(0.5) (pda denotes 1,3-propanediamine) with a larger molecule.

Adjustable Zero Thermal Expansion in Antiperovskite Manganese Nitride

“…2.97(5) 2.71(2) 2.22 (3) of the thermal expansion behavior of the three materials are clearly visible. For the coarse-grained material with a Mn site occupancy of 100% (denoted as Mn 1000), a increases with decreasing temperature from 340 K to 260 K (where a reaches a maximum), indicating the NTE behavior in a temperature range of Δ T = 80 K (260-340 K) with a negative linear expansion coeffi cient of α = -1.71 × 10 − 5 K − 1 , as depicted by the solid line.…”

A New Class of Nanostructured Inorganic–Organic Hybrid Semiconductors Based on II–VI Binary Compounds

“…The thermal expansion behavior has also been investigated on a polycrystalline sample of a prototype compound 3D-b-[ZnTe(en) 1/2 ]. Calculations of the phonon spectrum are performed using linear response theory (192). The results show that some transverse and transverse-longitudinal (mixed) modes can be excited between 4 and 400 K, and their frequencies are in the region similar to the transverse modes found in other materials contributing to NTE (193,194).…”

Hierarchical, multilayered cell walls reinforced by recycled silk cocoons enhance the structural integrity of honeybee combs

“…Stiff, strong, and lightweight porous materials with tunable CTE are vital for high-precision optical devices and sensors whose properties must not degrade as the temperature varies (33,34). In particular, they are ideal for aerospace applications in an environment with large temperature fluctuations.…”