Defect-tolerant electron and defect-sensitive phonon transport in quasi-2D conjugated coordination polymers
Abstract Thermoelectric materials, enabling direct waste-heat to electricity conversion, need to be highly electrically conducting while simultaneously thermally insulating. This is fundamentally challenging since electrical and thermal conduction usually change in tandem. In quasi-two-dimensional c...
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| Format: | Article |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61920-w |
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| author | Hio-Ieng Un Kamil Iwanowski Jordi Ferrer Orri Ian E. Jacobs Naoya Fukui David Cornil David Beljonne Michele Simoncelli Hiroshi Nishihara Henning Sirringhaus |
| author_facet | Hio-Ieng Un Kamil Iwanowski Jordi Ferrer Orri Ian E. Jacobs Naoya Fukui David Cornil David Beljonne Michele Simoncelli Hiroshi Nishihara Henning Sirringhaus |
| author_sort | Hio-Ieng Un |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Thermoelectric materials, enabling direct waste-heat to electricity conversion, need to be highly electrically conducting while simultaneously thermally insulating. This is fundamentally challenging since electrical and thermal conduction usually change in tandem. In quasi-two-dimensional conjugated coordination polymer films we discover an advantageous thermoelectric transport regime, in which charge transport is defect-tolerant but heat propagation is defect-sensitive; it imparts the ideal mix of antithetical properties—temperature-activated, exceptionally low lattice thermal conductivities of 0.2 W m−1 K−1 below Kittel’s limit originating from small-amplitude, quasi-harmonic lattice dynamics with disorder-limited lifetimes and vibrational scattering length on the order of interatomic spacing, and high electrical conductivities up to 2000 S cm−1 with metallic temperature dependence, notably in poorly crystalline structures with paracrystallinity >10%. These materials offer attractive properties, such as ease of processing and defect tolerance, for applications, that require fast charge, but slow heat transport. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5c8d3982177846d3b15ea03cc158bde2 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-5c8d3982177846d3b15ea03cc158bde22025-08-20T03:05:14ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-07-0116111310.1038/s41467-025-61920-wDefect-tolerant electron and defect-sensitive phonon transport in quasi-2D conjugated coordination polymersHio-Ieng Un0Kamil Iwanowski1Jordi Ferrer Orri2Ian E. Jacobs3Naoya Fukui4David Cornil5David Beljonne6Michele Simoncelli7Hiroshi Nishihara8Henning Sirringhaus9Optoelectronics Group, Cavendish Laboratory, University of CambridgeDepartment of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia UniversityOptoelectronics Group, Cavendish Laboratory, University of CambridgeOptoelectronics Group, Cavendish Laboratory, University of CambridgeResearch Institute for Science and Technology, Tokyo University of ScienceLaboratory for Chemistry of Novel Materials, University of MonsLaboratory for Chemistry of Novel Materials, University of MonsDepartment of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia UniversityResearch Institute for Science and Technology, Tokyo University of ScienceOptoelectronics Group, Cavendish Laboratory, University of CambridgeAbstract Thermoelectric materials, enabling direct waste-heat to electricity conversion, need to be highly electrically conducting while simultaneously thermally insulating. This is fundamentally challenging since electrical and thermal conduction usually change in tandem. In quasi-two-dimensional conjugated coordination polymer films we discover an advantageous thermoelectric transport regime, in which charge transport is defect-tolerant but heat propagation is defect-sensitive; it imparts the ideal mix of antithetical properties—temperature-activated, exceptionally low lattice thermal conductivities of 0.2 W m−1 K−1 below Kittel’s limit originating from small-amplitude, quasi-harmonic lattice dynamics with disorder-limited lifetimes and vibrational scattering length on the order of interatomic spacing, and high electrical conductivities up to 2000 S cm−1 with metallic temperature dependence, notably in poorly crystalline structures with paracrystallinity >10%. These materials offer attractive properties, such as ease of processing and defect tolerance, for applications, that require fast charge, but slow heat transport.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61920-w |
| spellingShingle | Hio-Ieng Un Kamil Iwanowski Jordi Ferrer Orri Ian E. Jacobs Naoya Fukui David Cornil David Beljonne Michele Simoncelli Hiroshi Nishihara Henning Sirringhaus Defect-tolerant electron and defect-sensitive phonon transport in quasi-2D conjugated coordination polymers Nature Communications |
| title | Defect-tolerant electron and defect-sensitive phonon transport in quasi-2D conjugated coordination polymers |
| title_full | Defect-tolerant electron and defect-sensitive phonon transport in quasi-2D conjugated coordination polymers |
| title_fullStr | Defect-tolerant electron and defect-sensitive phonon transport in quasi-2D conjugated coordination polymers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Defect-tolerant electron and defect-sensitive phonon transport in quasi-2D conjugated coordination polymers |
| title_short | Defect-tolerant electron and defect-sensitive phonon transport in quasi-2D conjugated coordination polymers |
| title_sort | defect tolerant electron and defect sensitive phonon transport in quasi 2d conjugated coordination polymers |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61920-w |
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