New thermal insulator outperforms any material found in nature
Researchers have engineered a new material that is an extreme thermal insulator, is exceptionally stiff and can be printed as a thin film at large scales. The material has one of the lowest thermal conductivity profiles of any dense, or nonporous, material—approaching the theoretical limit of how good a material can be as a thermal insulator.
Scientists have developed an innovative material that sets a new standard for thermal insulation, surpassing all naturally occurring substances. The material is exceptionally rigid and can be printed as a thin film at scale. Its thermal conductivity profile is among the lowest of any dense material, nearly reaching its theoretical limit.
Professor Dali Sun, co-corresponding author of the study from North Carolina State University, highlights the potential applications of this material, ranging from cookware to electronic devices to space travel. However, creating a material that is both stiff and an effective thermal insulator has proven challenging, as stiff materials generally conduct heat well, while insulating materials tend to be less stiff.
This new material, a two-dimensional hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite, boasts a thermal conductivity of approximately 0.04 W m-1 K-1 at room temperature, which is five times better at insulating heat than silicone—a common insulator used in oven mitts. The researchers achieved this by altering the organic layers of the perovskites by replacing carbon-carbon chains with a specific combination of benzene rings, allowing them to control both stiffness and thermal conductivity.
The manufacturing process can be scaled up for large-scale production, making it a promising solution for various industries.
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