Low thermal expansion materials

As modern science and technology advance, the performance of materials and devices under extreme conditions is becoming increasingly crucial. Thermal expansion and the mismatch of thermal expansion coefficients can induce thermal stress or thermal shock, leading to fatigue fractures, performance degradation, and even temporary or permanent failures of materials and devices. Low thermal expansion materials are gaining prominence due to their potential to address these challenges. These materials play a critical role in diverse applications such as aerospace, high-precision instruments, detectors, power and energy devices and other fields. This special topic aims to foster the discovery and design of high-performance low thermal expansion materials and to elucidate their underlying mechanisms. It aspires to establish low thermal expansion as a significant interdisciplinary frontier in solid-state chemistry, physics, and materials science.

Topics covered include, but are not limited to:

(1) Metals, alloys, and metal matrix composites;

(2) Ceramics and powders;

(3) Polymers and metal-organic frameworks or clusters;

(4) Nanoparticles and two-dimensional materials.