Discovery of ABO4 scheelites with the extra low thermal conductivity through high-throughput calculations

Searching for new materials with extra low thermal conductivities is significant in numerous fields like thermal barrier coatings and thermoelectric devices. Traditional multiple-component design has successfully reduced the thermal conductivity, but it also dramatically increases the complexity of manufactural technologies and the risk of material failures. In this work, a specific category known as ABO4 scheelites that with both simple crystal structure and the structural signature of the low lattice thermal conductivity is explored. High-throughput calculations are employed to screen for the materials with the targeted performance by multi-dimensional mechanical/thermal property criteria and a database of 46 stable scheelites is constructed. Seven scheelites with both ultra-low thermal conductivities (<1.2 W/(m∙K)) and quasi-ductility are predicted to be novel thermal insulation materials. Low thermal conductivities prefer the scheelites with large valence disparity between “A” and “B” cations and/or small ionic radius ratio. The adopted strategy starting from the structural fingerprint and the data-driven material selection is expected to be a reference of future structural and functional ceramics design.