Self-Modulation-Guided Growth of 2D Tellurides with Ultralow Thermal Conductivity

Ultralow thermal conductivity materials have triggered much interest due to diverse applications in thermal insulation, thermal barrier coating, and especially thermoelectrics. Two dimensional (2D) indium tellurides with ultralow thermal conductivity provide a versatile platform for tailoring the heat transfer, exploring new candidates for thermoelectrics, and achieving miniature, lightweight, and highly integrated devices. Unfortunately, their nanostructure and structure-related heat transfer properties at a 2D scale are much less studied due to difficulties in material fabrication. The ionic character between interlayers and strong covalent bonds in 3D directions impede the anisotropic growth of indium telluride flakes; meanwhile, the low environmental stability and chemical reactivity of tellurium also limit the fabrication of high-quality tellurides, thus hindering the exploration of thermal transport properties. Here, a self-modulation-guided growth strategy to synthesize high-quality 2D In4Te3 single crystals with ultralow thermal conductivity (0.47 W m(-1) K-1) is developed. This strategy can also be extended to synthesize a series of highly crystallized metal tellurides, providing excellent candidates for further application in thermoelectrics.

Automated summary

Due to difficulties in material fabrication, the nanostructure and heat transfer properties of two-dimensional indium tellurides have been less studied. This research presents a self-modulation-guided growth strategy to synthesize high-quality 2D In4Te3 single crystals with ultralow thermal conductivity.