Nanostructured Crystals:  Unique Hybrid Semiconductors Exhibiting Nearly Zero and Tunable Uniaxial Thermal Expansion Behavior

A unique family of II−VI based nanostructured inorganic−organic hybrid semiconductors exhibit nearly zero uniaxial thermal expansion in the temperature range of 95−295 K. Both their optoelectronic and thermal expansion properties are systematically tunable. The diamine molecules show a strong negative thermal expansion effect, and the extent of such an effect increases as the length of the organic molecules increases.