Low thermal conductivity in a modular inorganic material with bonding anisotropy and mismatch

• DOI: 10.1126/science.abh1619
• Publication Date: 2021-07-15T19:15:12Z
• Authors: Quinn D. Gibson; Tianqi Zhao; Luke M. Daniels; Helen C. Walker; Ramzy Daou; Sylvie Hébert; Marco Zanella; Matthew S. Dyer; John B. Claridge; Ben Slater; Michael W. Gaultois; Furio Corà; Jonathan Alaria; Matthew J. Rossei...
• Keywords: [PHYS.COND.CM-MS]Physics [physics]/Condensed Matter [cond-mat]/Materials Science [cond-mat.mtrl-sci]; 02 engineering and technology; 0210 nano-technology; 01 natural sciences; [PHYS.COND.CM-MS] Physics [physics]/Condensed Matter [cond-mat]/Materials Science [cond-mat.mtrl-sci]; 0104 chemical sciences

Blocking heat in two ways

Low thermal conductivity is important for barrier coatings, thermoelectrics, and other applications. Gibson et al . combined two complementary methods that manipulate internal interface properties to dramatically decrease the thermal conductivity of the inorganic material BiO 2 Cl 2 Se (see the Perspective by Kim and Cahill). The authors took advantage of both in-plane structural distortions and weak bonding layers to push the conductivity down to 0.1 watts per kelvin per meter: only four times that of air. The principles should be applicable to other systems and provide a method for developing crystals with extremely low thermal conductivity. —BG