Professor Jeffrey Yarger of the University of Wyoming is funded by the Theoretical and Computational Chemistry program as a CAREER award to perform experiments aimed at developing a new understanding of phase transitions in polyamorphic solids. To date, the only demonstration of polyamorphism is in solid water. Because of the importance of water, it is therefore of great interest to understand polyamorphism and to seek other examples. The PI will look for such effects in other tetrahedrally bound systems such as BeF2. The approach is to use cutting edge NMR and light scattering methods such as Brillouin spectroscopy. The PI will also introduce laser based light scattering into the physical chemistry laboratory class, with an emphasis on making the experiments relevant to biochemistry students.
The increasing need for novel material properties provides some of the motivation for study of amorphous materials and their phase transitions. Additionally, this research could help us to understand some of the unusual properties of water. The training of biochemistry majors in physical methods will be of great benefit as biological advances depend to a greater extent on sophisticated technology.
