{"id":197653,"date":"2025-09-03T19:52:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T19:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/197653\/"},"modified":"2025-09-03T19:52:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T19:52:08","slug":"crystalline-material-conducts-heat-even-worse-than-glass-and-water-and-thats-promising","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/197653\/","title":{"rendered":"Crystalline material conducts heat even worse than glass and water\u2014and that’s promising"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Crystalline<\/p>\n

Postdoc Peter Skj\u00f8tt Thorup from Aarhus University holds a small sample of the crystalline material AgGaGe3Se8, which he and his colleagues have studied. The material behaves like a glass in terms of heat transport \u2013 despite having a regular crystal structure. Credit: Peter F. Gammelby, Aarhus University<\/p>\n

A research team from Aarhus University, Denmark, has measured and explained the exceptionally low thermal conductivity of the crystalline material AgGaGe3Se8. Despite its ordered structure, the material behaves like a glass in terms of heat transport\u2014making it one of the least heat-conductive crystalline solids known to date.<\/p>\n

At room temperature, AgGaGe3Se8 exhibits a thermal conductivity<\/a> of just 0.2 watts per meter-Kelvin\u2014which is three times lower than water and five times lower than typical silica glass. The material is composed of silver (Ag), gallium (Ga), germanium (Ge), and selenium (Se), and has previously been studied for its optical properties<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now, for the first time, researchers from iMAT\u2014the Aarhus University Center for Integrated Materials Research\u2014have measured its thermal transport properties and identified the structural origin of its unusually low thermal conductivity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The findings are published<\/a> in the journal Science Advances.<\/p>\n

The key lies in the behavior of the silver atoms. Instead of being fixed in place within the crystal lattice<\/a>, the silver atoms are loosely bound and move erratically. This internal disorder disrupts the propagation of phonons\u2014the vibrations that normally carry heat through solids\u2014and causes thermal transport to break down in a way typically seen in amorphous materials like glass.<\/p>\n

Remarkably, this glass-like behavior persists over a broad temperature range, from 2 to 700 Kelvin (\u2212271 \u00b0C to 400 \u00b0C), which is highly unusual for a crystalline material.<\/p>\n

Materials with very low thermal conductivity are of interest in a wide range of applications, such as thermoelectric modules that convert waste heat<\/a> into electricity, or as thermal barriers in microelectronics and high-temperature environments. However, AgGaGe3Se8 is not immediately applicable in its current form, as it does not conduct electricity well and contains germanium\u2014a relatively rare and expensive element.<\/p>\n

The study is instead a contribution to fundamental materials science. By exploring how specific structural features influence thermal transport, researchers gain valuable insight into how to design materials with tailored heat conduction properties\u2014an important aspect in the development of future technologies in energy, computing, and aerospace.<\/p>\n

The findings are based on a combination of thermal measurements and advanced synchrotron X-ray scattering data collected at the Spring-8 facility in Japan.<\/p>\n

More information:<\/strong>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPeter Skj\u00f8tt Thorup et al, Structural origins of ultralow glass-like thermal conductivity in AgGaGe3Se8, Science Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1126\/sciadv.adv5865<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tProvided by
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAarhus University<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCitation<\/strong>:
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCrystalline material conducts heat even worse than glass and water\u2014and that’s promising (2025, September 3)
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tretrieved 3 September 2025
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfrom https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2025-09-crystalline-material-worse-glass.html\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
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