Acquisition of a SQUID Magnetometer

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This proposal requests funds to provide modern, versatile magnetic instrumentation for materials research in chemistry and condensed matter physics at Clark University. A magnetometer will serve as the central instrument of a program in the synthesis and characterization of a new generation of molecular-based quantum antiferromagnets. Research has been focused on molecular-based magnetism, concentrating recently on the design and synthesis of low-dimensional quantum antiferromagnets that have significant overlap with the magnetism of high-temperature superconductivity. This new instrument will help meet the complementary requirements of the physics group and the synthetic chemistry group. A productive, versatile magnetometer has become an indispensable analytical tool for synthetic magnetochemists. Measurements of a preliminary batch of a new compound can provide guidance for determining the necessary synthetic pathway to a new compound. The requested magnetometer will also be the workhorse instrument for the researchers who need to make extensive studies of the field and temperature dependences of the magnetization and dc-and ac-susceptibilities studies of the most interesting of the new materials. Our students, both undergraduate and graduate, profit from the multidisciplinary nature of this research project. When students see their own work placed within a broader scientific context they develop an appreciation for other disciplines. Because the chemistry and physics laboratories are within the same building, opportunities for interaction occur daily, optimal for good collaborative work. The availability of the new instrument will have a strong impact on the educational opportunities we can offer our students. For both chemistry and physics students, the new magnetometer will allow them to concentrate on the science, and less on struggling with inadequate instruments. The chemists will be able to take advantage of the user-friendly interface of the new magnetometer to run their own samples. This increased involvement will render them more independent, decreasing the turnaround time and increasing their productivity.