Adjustable Zero Thermal Expansion in Antiperovskite Manganese Nitride

• DOI: 10.1002/adma.201102552
• Publication Date: 2011-09-12T15:57:47Z
• Authors: Xiaoyan Song; Zhonghua Sun; Qingzhen Huang; Markus Rettenmayr; Xuemei Liu; Martin Seyring; Guannan Li; Guanghui Rao; Fuxing Yin
• Keywords: Antiperovskite; Lattice (music); Zero (linguistics)

A universal mechanism that controls the zero thermal expansion (ZTE) behavior of antiperovskite manganese nitrides is discovered. Modulating Mn occupancy at its lattice sites leads to a drastic change in behavior. The site can be reduced by nanostructuring material, generating form “giant” ZTE.