This award will support collaborative research in advanced ceramic materials between Dr. John Mackenzie, University of California at Los Angeles, and Professor J. Livage, University of Pierre and Marie Curie, Paris, France. Advanced ceramic materials such as high temperature superconductors and the insulating tiles on the space shuttle are the key to future technological advances which can improve the quality of life and make the US more competitive in the international marketplace. In this project, Drs. MacKenzie and Livage will combine their expertise in sol-gel science, specifically the expertise of the French team on the physical chemistry and structures of complex liquids which form gels, and the background of the US group in the transformation of gels into ceramics. An exchange of postdoctoral students is proposed, as well as a joint workshop on sol-gel derived materials. Topics to be investigated include sol-gel systems leading to materials such as the supercon- ducting ceramics and electronic ceramics like barium titanate. Dr. MacKenzie and his team are currently studying the preparation of superconducting ceramics; Dr. Livage is actively investigating the physical chemistry and structures of complex liquid solutions used in the preparation of these materials. The results of this research may provide valuable information for the development of new engineering materials.
