New Ruthenium Oxides: Compounds Poised between Magnetic and Non-magnetic Ground States

该项目涉及新型复杂固体，如过渡金属氧化物，特别是理解化学，晶体结构和物理性质之间的关系。挑战的出现是由于d电子之间的强相互作用，目前还没有成功地处理的理论模型，也由于几乎能量等效的基态之间的微妙平衡，往往产生于电子，磁性和结构自由度之间的耦合。该项目将直接解决导致某些化合物具有磁性的关键因素，而其他化合物则不是，通过发现和表征基于铼的氧化物，这些化合物有望跨越磁性和非磁性之间的边界。研究生和本科生将通过这个项目进行培训，成为未来的研究人员在材料的技术应用的关键领域。将提供一门由PI设计的新生化学课程，以培养未来工程师对技术中使用的化合物的理解。该项目将参与培训高中和中学科学教师，并将在当地小学和中学介绍科学“管道”，并将积极鼓励妇女和少数民族参与该项目。虽然对整个社会来说并不明显，但今天的技术，从电子到医疗系统，都是基于化学化合物，这些化合物使它们的功能发挥关键作用。这些化合物是在固态和材料化学几十年的基础和应用研究中发现和开发的。我们目前和未来的许多技术都是基于过渡元素的复杂化合物。尽管如此重要，但最近的革命性发现表明，我们对这些化合物的理解令人惊讶地贫乏。这个项目将直接解决我们理解中的一个重大缺陷-是什么关键因素导致一些化合物具有磁性，而其他化合物则非常相似，不是？- 通过对一类化合物的研究，基于氧化物的氧化物，跨越了磁性和非磁性之间的边界。研究生和本科生将接受培训，成为技术应用材料关键领域的未来研究人员。将提供一门由PI设计的新生化学课程，以培养未来工程师对技术中使用的化合物的理解。该项目将参与培训高中和中学科学教师，并将在当地小学和中学介绍科学“管道”，并将积极鼓励妇女和少数民族参与该项目。

This project addresses novel complex solids such as transition metal oxides, and in particular understanding the relationships between chemistry, crystal structures, and physical properties. The challenges arise due to strong interactions between d electrons, not currently successfully treated by theoretical models, and also due to the delicate balance between nearly energetically equivalent ground states that often arises from coupling between electronic, magnetic, and structural degrees of freedom. This project will directly address the critical factors that cause some chemical compounds to be magnetic, while others are not, through the discovery and characterization of ruthenium-based oxides, compounds that are expected to straddle the border between magnetism and non-magnetism. Graduate and undergraduate students will be trained through this project to become future researchers in the critical area of materials for technological applications. A course in freshman chemistry, designed by the PI to develop future engineers' understanding of the chemical compounds used in technology, will be given. The PI will be involved in training high school and middle school science teachers and will make presentations at local primary and secondary schools to address the science "pipeline", and will actively encourage the participation of women and minorities in the project. Although not apparent to society as a whole, today's technologies, ranging from electronic to medical systems, are based on chemical compounds that critically enable their function. These compounds have been discovered and developed over decades of basic and applied research in solid state and materials chemistry. Much of our current and potentially future technology is based on complex compounds of the transition elements. In spite of that importance, revolutionary discoveries in the recent past have shown that our understanding of such compounds is surprisingly poor. This project will directly address one of the great deficiencies in our understanding - What are the critical factors that cause some chemical compounds to be magnetic, while others, quite similar, are not? - through the study of a class of compounds, ruthenium-based oxides, that straddle the border between magnetism and non-magnetism. Graduate and undergraduate students will be trained to become future researchers in the critical area of materials for technological applications. A course in freshman chemistry, designed by the PI to develop future engineers' understanding of the chemical compounds used in technology, will be given. The PI will be involved in training high school and middle school science teachers and will make presentations at local primary and secondary schools to address the science "pipeline", and will actively encourage the participation of women and minorities in the project.