Unique Arrangement of Atoms Leads to Low Thermal Conductivity: A Comparative Study of Monolayer Mg2C

Two-dimensional Mg2C, one of the typical representative MXene materials, is attracting lots of attention due to its outstanding properties. In this study, we find the thermal conductivity of monolayer Mg2C is more than 2 orders of magnitude lower than graphene and is even lower than MoS2 despite the relatively lighter atoms of Mg and C. Based on the comparative analysis with graphene, silicene, and MoS2, the underlying mechanism is found lying in the unique arrangement of atoms (lighter atoms in the middle plane) and large electronegativity difference in Mg2C. The phonon anharmonicity is strong due to the resonant bonding. In addition, dual band gaps emerge in the phonon dispersion of Mg2C, which limit the phonon-phonon scattering and reduce the phonon relaxation time. This study reveals a new mechanism responsible for low thermal conductivity, which would be helpful for designing thermal functional materials and pave the way for applications in thermoelectrics.