Synthesis, Characterization, and Physical Properties of Metal Chalcogenides

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The goal of this project is to synthesize, characterize, and measure the physical properties of solid-state metal chalcogenides (a chalcogenide being a compound that contains sulfur, selenium, or tellurium). Metal chalcogenides show a very rich chemistry that is fundamentally different and much less explored than that of the oxides. Areas to be explored include ternary transition-metal/rare-earth-metal/chalcogenides, chalcogenide substitutional chemistry, rare-earth oxychalcogenides, rare-earth/copper/telluride derivatives and thermoelectric behavior, and thorium and uranium chalcogenides. Characterization of the new materials will include structural determinations by single-crystal X-ray methods and the measurement of physical properties to include electrical conductivity, thermopower, and magnetic susceptibility. The ultimate goal of this research project is to make the chemistry of solid-state materials more predictable.%%%The synthesis of new classes of solid-state materials exhibiting novel physical properties such as electronic, optical, thermoelectric, and magnetic together with correlating these physical properties with composition and structure are priority areas of high interest to industry, and students trained in these areas are very competitive in the job market.