Low thermal conductivity in a modular inorganic material with bonding anisotropy and mismatch
Quinn Gibson, Tianqi Zhao, Luke M. Daniels, H. 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. Rosseinsky
Abstract
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