Negative thermal
expansion (NTE) is an intriguing property for
not only fundamental studies but also technological applications.
However, few NTE materials are available compared with the huge amount
of positive thermal expansion materials. The discovery of new NTE
materials remains challenging. Here we report a chemical modification
strategy to transform thermal expansion from positive to negative
in cubic magnetic compounds of (Zr,Nb)Fe2 by tuning the
magnetic exchange interaction. Furthermore, an isotropic zero thermal
expansion can be established in Zr0.8Nb0.2Fe2 (αl = 1.4 × 10–6 K–1, 3–470 K) over a broad temperature range that
is even wider than that of the prototype Invar alloy of Fe0.64Ni0.36. The NTE of (Zr,Nb)Fe2 is originated
from the weakened magnetic exchange interaction and the increased
d electrons of Fe by the Nb chemical substitution, so that the magnetovolume
effect overwhelms the contribution of anharmonic lattice vibration.