Volume 137, Issue 30 e202507107
Zuschrift

Giant Negative Thermal Expansion Induced by Topological Phase Transition in a Potassium Zinc Phosphate Material

Xin Liu

Xin Liu

College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 P.R. China

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Yi-Chang Yang

Yi-Chang Yang

College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 P.R. China

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Qian-Qian Liu

Qian-Qian Liu

College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 P.R. China

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Shuang Zhao

Shuang Zhao

Center for Advanced Materials Research, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, 519087 P.R. China

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Tong Yu

Tong Yu

College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 P.R. China

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Li-Ming Wu

Corresponding Author

Li-Ming Wu

College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 P.R. China

Center for Advanced Materials Research, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, 519087 P.R. China

E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]

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Ling Chen

Corresponding Author

Ling Chen

College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 P.R. China

E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]

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First published: 15 May 2025

Abstract

Negative thermal expansion (NTE) materials exhibit the counterintuitive property of volume contraction upon heating, which is critical for precision engineering applications. While significant progress has been made in NTE material discovery and mechanism understanding, developing cost-effective systems with strong NTE effects remains challenging. Here we report that an economical phosphate material, KZn(PO3)3, which demonstrates a record-breaking volumetric contraction (ΔV/V = −11.49%) during its low-temperature to high-temperature phase transition. This exceptional NTE behavior originates from an unprecedented topological phase transition involving structural reorganization from infinite (PO4)-chains (C symmetry) to discrete P3O9-rings (C3 symmetry). The variable-cell nudged elastic band, ab initio molecular dynamics, and self-consistent phonon calculations reveal a threefold mechanism: (1) reduced K–K distance minimize electrostatic repulsion, (2) covalent bond rearrangement enables the chain-to-ring transformation, and (3) pronounced vibrational modes of O1 atoms destabilize the anionic chains, promoting their cleavage. Concurrently, these cooperative effects drive the observed giant NTE, while the resulting hexagonal-closed-packed (hcp) K+ sublattice further enhances structural contraction.

Conflict of Interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available in the Supporting Information of this article.

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