This award supports a three year collaborative research project between Professor Peter Eklund of the University of Kentucky and Professor Mildred Dresselhaus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with Professor Toshiaki Enoki of the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan. The researchers will undertake a study of exotic sp2 carbon systems. Carbon-based materials offer intellectual challenges in basic materials science, and high potential for the development of new technologies. The proposed program focuses on the physical and chemical properties of sp2 bonded carbon materials. The research objective is to produce a fundamental understanding of the structure-property relationships in these materials by carrying out a variety of experiments and by interpreting the results in terms of existing, or by developing new, theoretical models. The carbon materials to be investigated exhibit a wide range of structural order and disorder. These materials are synthesized by both the U.S. and Japanese collaborators. The four materials are: 1) single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT); 2) polyparaphenylene (PPP)-based carbons; 3) mesophase pitch-based carbon fibers (MPCF's); and 4) nanographite donor- and acceptor- intercalation compounds (Nano-GIC).
This project brings together the efforts of three laboratories that have complementary expertise and research capabilities. Results of this research have the potential of extending an already thriving technology into new areas of nanostructure technology. This research advances international human resources through the participation of a younger scientist and graduate students. Through the exchange of ideas and technology, this project will broaden our base of basic knowledge and promote international understanding and cooperation. ***
