This two-year award provides support for US-France cooperative research on the preparation of monolithic, inorganic-organic mesophase materials. The collaboration involves research groups led by Bradley F. Chmelka at the University of California, Santa Barbara and Florence Babonneau at the CNRS (French National Center for Scientific Research) Laboratory for Chemistry and Condensed Matter at the Pierre and Marie Curie University. The objectives of the project are to: (1) create macroscopically oriented, mesostructured materials with compositionally diverse transition metal oxide networks; and (2) create new bulk mesoscopically ordered inorganic-organic composite materials using block copolymers. They will employ NMR spectroscopy and sol-gel processing techniques. The US investigator brings to this collaboration expertise in preparation and molecular characterization of composites using NMR spectroscopy techniques. This is complemented by French experience in sol-gel chemistry and processing. The collaboration takes advantage of synchrotron facilities in Paris. It will advance understanding of the development of new materials used in separation processes, catalysis, and opto-electronic devices or processes.
