This project, supported by the Solid State and Materials Chemistry program in the Division of Materials Research will develop low temperature (< 500 degrees C) topochemical synthetic strategies to direct the preparation of new solid-state materials. Combinations of ion exchange, reductive intercalation, and/or oxidative intercalation will be used to build extended arrays within layered oxide hosts. Emphasis will be placed on multistep reaction processing where the sequential application of topochemical methods will lead to new intricately layered products. This program is expected in the long term to contribute to the development of an extensive series of low temperature topochemical reaction strategies where a comprehensive library of reactions can be envisioned that would allow for the directed, rational synthesis of new non-molecular target compounds with specific structural, electronic and magnetic features. With respect to the educational impact, efforts here will focus on the training of students and postdoctoral associates. Participants will gain valuable training in the synthesis and characterization of new materials as well as the presentation and publication of scientific data. A further aspect of this program is the involvement of international students where undergraduate and/or graduate students from France will work in the PI's laboratory; this effort will serve to promote solid-state chemistry at the international level. Finally, to help promote science in the New Orleans area, local high school students will be involved in this research program each summer.
NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: New methods will be developed that will allow the preparation of new oxide materials. These methods are expected to expand chemists' current capabilities and allow for the effective synthesis of new compounds of technological importance, such as new electronic and/or magnetic materials. This program will also help to train scientists in materials chemistry and general scientific methods. Personnel in this program will include postdoctoral scholars, graduate students, and undergraduates. In terms of international impact, science students from France will work in the PI's lab as part of their training and the PI will continue ongoing collaborative projects with researchers in Japan. Further, to help promote science in the New Orleans area, local high school students will be involved in this research program each summer.
New methods for making new materials have been developed. These approaches utilize lower reaction temperatures. This is important for making new compounds because it requires less energy and can lead to unusual materials with important properties. In this study we made a series of new compounds by these low temperature methods. Some of the compounds have unusual structural arrangements of their atoms and unusual magnetic properties that are of fundamental interest to chemists, physicists and materials scientists. Such materials can lead to a greater understanding of properties and can then lead to new materials of high technological significance. Other important outcomes of this project involves the effective training of students in chemistry. This occurs at a number of levels where the project has impacted high school (3), undergraduate (9), visiting French undergraduate (3), and graduate students (2) as well as postdoctoral scholars (2) and a high school teacher (1). All of these individuals have had direct experience working in a laboratory and the application of the scientific method towards the synthesis of new compounds. Most of the participants have gained experience in presenting and discussing their data with a group of scientists. In many instances the students’ work has resulted in a publication in an important chemistry journal or the presentation at a national scientific meeting highlighting their efforts.
