Materials 2012, 5(6), 1125-1154; doi:10.3390/ma5061125
Review

Two Decades of Negative Thermal Expansion Research: Where Do We Stand?

Cora Lindemail
Department of Chemistry, the University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
Received: 16 April 2012; in revised form: 1 June 2012 / Accepted: 15 June 2012 / Published: 20 June 2012
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Negative Thermal Expansion Materials)
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Abstract: Negative thermal expansion (NTE) materials have become a rapidly growing area of research over the past two decades. The initial discovery of materials displaying NTE over a large temperature range, combined with elucidation of the mechanism behind this unusual property, was followed by predictions that these materials will find use in various applications through controlled thermal expansion composites. While some patents have been filed and devices built, a number of obstacles have prevented the widespread implementation of NTE materials to date. This paper reviews NTE materials that contract due to transverse atomic vibrations, their potential for use in controlled thermal expansion composites, and known problems that could interfere with such applications.
Keywords: negative thermal expansion; mechanisms; composites; challenges

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MDPI and ACS Style

Lind, C. Two Decades of Negative Thermal Expansion Research: Where Do We Stand? Materials 2012, 5, 1125-1154.

AMA Style

Lind C. Two Decades of Negative Thermal Expansion Research: Where Do We Stand? Materials. 2012; 5(6):1125-1154.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lind, Cora. 2012. "Two Decades of Negative Thermal Expansion Research: Where Do We Stand?" Materials 5, no. 6: 1125-1154.

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