Summary:
Researchers in UCLA’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering have developed a novel transition metal compound that demonstrates what is thought to be the highest thermal conductivity reported among metallic materials. The material is synthesized as a single, defect-free crystal, enabling unprecedented efficiency in heat transport. This breakthrough offers exceptional heat dissipation performance and has broad applicability across heat-limited technologies, including advanced electronic systems, quantum computing hardware, and large-scale data center cooling infrastructure.
Background:
Efficient heat dissipation is essential across a wide range of electronics applications, including high-performance computing, batteries, RF and quantum devices, electric vehicles, AI data centers, power electronics, LED lighting, and medical equipment. While metallic materials can exhibit high thermal conductivity, their performance is inherently limited by intrinsic scattering mechanisms by electron-phonon and phonon-phonon interactions. Θ-phase tantalum nitride (Θ-TaN), a newly discovered metallic material, exhibits exceptionally high thermal conductivity due to its ultrastiff atomic bonding and low electron-phonon coupling. Prior attempts to stabilize Θ-TaN for practical use have been constrained by extreme pressure and temperature requirements, and polycrystalline samples often suffer from grain boundaries, point defects, and phase heterogeneity. There remains a strong unmet need for a stable high-thermal-conductivity Θ-TaN material that can be reliably integrated into advanced electronics applications.
Innovation:
Professor Yongjie Hu and his research team have developed a single-crystalline Θ-TaN with ultrahigh thermal conductivity of 1100 W/mK at room temperature, the highest reported for any metallic material and almost three times that of silver, copper, and silicon carbide. Using a flux-assisted synthesis approach, the team bypassed the extreme high-pressure and high-temperature conditions typically required for Θ-TaN stabilization. The resulting material has improved crystallinity, high phase purity, well-faceted grain morphology, and minimal defects. Comprehensive experimental characterization confirmed consistent diffraction patterns and uniform thermal conductivity throughout the entire crystal.
The inventors demonstrate unprecedented phonon-dominated heat transport in a metallic system, overcoming limitations of scattering in the state of the art. Θ-TaN represents a new class of ultrahigh-thermal-conductivity metallic materials, with applications spanning numerous high-heat-flux industries. This breakthrough material has the potential to redefine thermal management across advanced electronics, aerospace systems, AI accelerators, and energy and power applications by delivering uniform, ultrahigh thermal conductivity through a defect-free crystalline structure that outperforms conventional metals.
Potential Applications:
● Thermal management in high-performance computing systems
● Cooling for RF amplifiers and quantum devices
● Heat dissipation in AI and data center hardware
● Battery and power electronics thermal control in electric vehicles
● Temperature regulation in medical devices
● Thermal management in mobile and portable electronics
● Aerospace and defense thermal management systems
Advantages:
● Highest thermal conductivity measured for any metallic material (1100 W/mK)
● Uniform thermal performance across the crystal
● Perfect single-crystalline structure with no grain boundaries
● High phase purity and minimal defects
● Well-faceted, stable crystal morphology
● Synthesized without need for extreme pressures or temperatures
● Compatibility with current manufacturing processes
● Mechanical robustness
State of Development:
First description of complete invention: 05/01/2023. High-quality single-crystal structure confirmed using Raman spectroscopy, S-XRD, HRTEM, and EELS.
Publication:
Suixuan Li et al., Metallic θ-phase tantalum nitride has a thermal conductivity triple that of copper.Science0,eaeb1142, DOI: 10.1126/science.aeb1142
Reference:
UCLA Case No. 2026-180
Lead Inventor:
Yongjie Hu, Faculty, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering