Unique Hierarchical Rotational Dynamics Induces Ultralow Lattice Thermal Conductivity in Cyanide-bridged Framework Materials

Abstract

The pursuit of materials combining light constituent elements with ultralow lattice thermal conductivity (${\kappa }_{\mathrm{L}}$) is crucial to advancing technologies like thermoelectrics and thermal barrier coatings, yet it remains a formidable challenge to date. Herein, we achieve ultralow ${\kappa }_{\mathrm{L}}$ in lightweight cyanide-bridged framework materials (CFMs) through the rational integration of properties such as the hierarchical vibrations exhibited in superatomic structures and rotational dynamics exhibited in perovskites. Unique hierarchical rotation behavior leads to multiple negative peaks in Grüneisen parameters across a wide frequency range, thereby inducing pronounced negative thermal expansion and strong cubic anharmonicity in CFMs. Meanwhile, the synergistic effect between large four-phonon scattering phase space (induced by phonon quasi-flat bands and wide bandgaps) and strong quartic anharmonicity (associated with rotation modes) leads to giant quartic anharmonic scattering rates in these materials. Consequently, the ${\kappa }_{\mathrm{L}}$ of these CFMs decreases by one to two orders of magnitude compared to the known perovskites or perovskite-like materials with equivalent average atomic masses. For instance, the Cd(CN)${}_2$, NaB(CN)${}_4$, LiIn(CN)${}_4$, and AgX(CN)${}_4$ (X = B, Al, Ga, In) exhibit ultralow room-temperature ${\kappa }_{\mathrm{L}}$ values ranging from 0.35 to 0.81 W/mK. This work not only establishes CFMs as a novel and rich platform for studying extreme phonon anharmonicity, but also provides a new paradigm for achieving ultralow thermal conductivity in lightweight materials via the conscious integration of hierarchical and rotational dynamics.

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