Mechanism of intrinsic thermal conductivity in porous materials

Determine the microscopic mechanism governing intrinsic thermal conductivity in porous materials to clarify how heat is transported in such systems and what structural features control phonon and electronic contributions.

Background

The paper investigates thermal transport in layered conductive metal-organic framework (LCMOF) single crystals (Cu3HHTP2, Co9HHTP4, Nd3HHTP2) and reports ultralow cross-plane thermal conductivities. Despite high electrical conductivity in Nd3HHTP2, its thermal conductivity remains comparably low, indicating dominant lattice contributions and deviation from the Wiedemann–Franz law at room temperature.

Within this context, the authors explicitly note that the broader field lacks a clear understanding of the intrinsic thermal conductivity mechanism in porous materials. Their single-crystal measurements and structural analyses (e.g., incommensurate modulation and correlated disorder) are presented as steps toward elucidating this mechanism, but they emphasize that a comprehensive mechanistic picture remains unresolved.

References

However, the mechanism of intrinsic thermal conductivity of porous materials is currently unclear in the field.

— Unraveling Intrinsic Thermal Conductivity in Layered Conductive MOF Single Crystals  (2604.02657 - Guo et al., 3 Apr 2026) in Results and Discussion, subsection 'Basic theory of solid heat conduction and structural characteristics of LCMOFs'