This renewal award by the Solid State Materials Chemistry program in the Division of Materials Research to University of South Carolina addresses the discovery and the crystal growth of new materials by utilizing hydroxide fluxes as a synthetic strategy in preparing new complex oxides in single crystal form. Many important physical properties that enable the functioning of new electronic devices, data storage materials, battery components and superconductors are found in oxide materials containing transition metal elements. This is a versatile group of chemical compounds that can be selectively modified to exhibit desirable physical properties that will lay the groundwork for new devices and applications of the future. With this award, Professor zur Loye will be developing advanced methods for synthesizing new oxides to determine the atomic structure of these materials, to investigate their electronic and magnetic properties, and to enable their utilization in a variety of applications.
The proposal focuses on the discovery of new materials and the training of the next generation researcher in the US. These two goals will be accomplished by using crystal growth in hydroxide fluxes as a synthetic strategy to prepare complex oxides, to discover new materials, and to provide a valuable educational experience for students from undergraduate to graduate and postdoctorate. The scientific goals focus on expanding and improving the approach of single crystal growth as a means of exploring phase space for materials discovery, while the teaching goals will assure the education of a wide range of individuals, including those from underrepresented groups, in the area of solid state and materials chemistry.
The discovery of new materials and associated desirable properties has been a driving force behind chemical innovation for centuries. But how should one go about finding these new materials? To address this issue, we have pursued one approach—the crystal growth from high temperature solutions—that we believe is most likely to result in the discovery of new oxide compositions with complex structures and potentially new properties. Many important physical properties that enable the functioning of new electronic devices, data storage materials, battery components and superconductors are found in oxide materials containing transition metal elements. This is a versatile group of chemical compounds that can be selectively modified to exhibit desirable physical properties that will lay the groundwork for new devices and applications of the future. We have developed advanced methods for synthesizing single crystals of oxides containing selected transition metal elements in order to determine the atomic structure of these materials and to characterize their optical properties. These crystals are grown out of high temperature solutions that are created by melting powders at high temperatures, often well over 1000 °C. These liquids are hot enough and reactive enough to dissolve our reagents and, upon slowly cooling the liquid, to form the desired materials in single crystal form. Many of these crystals look like small gemstones. We use these crystals to study their optical properties. For example, many of the materials luminesce brightly, meaning they emit visible light when exposed to ultraviolet light, a necessary condition for these materials to find application in solid-state lighting applications; such as energy efficient LED based light bulbs. In the process of accomplishing this research, undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers have being trained in cutting-edge techniques for synthesizing and characterizing these materials using state of the art instrumentation. The educational aspect of this research assures that highly trained men, women and underrepresented minorities can enter the workforce and meet our countries ever present need for scientists.
