Metal fluorides, a new family of negative thermal expansion materials

In the past decades, the families of negative thermal expansion (NTE) materials have been in the uninterrupted growth with more new NTE materials reported; in particular, metal fluorides as the new members begin to draw attention. Herein, recent progress on the NTE properties of metal fluorides is reviewed, including compounds, mechanisms and the control of thermal expansion. Although some achievements have been made, there are still great development prospects. More in-depth investigations on metal fluorides with NTE behavior are expected.

Graphical abstractMetal fluorides, as the new members of negative thermal expansion (NTE) materials, begin to draw much attention. The NTE behaviors of (a) MnF3, (b) ScF3, (c) ZnF2 and (d) TiF3 have been shown in the above figures.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide