Acquisition of an FTIR-Raman Spectrometer System to Probe Intermediate Phases in Disordered Systems

该拨款为辛辛那提大学购置傅里叶变换红外拉曼光谱仪系统提供支持，用于探测无序系统中的中间相。网络眼镜已经成为无序系统的范例。拉曼散射和调制差示扫描量热实验表明，玻璃中应力刚性的开始涉及两个弹性相变，作为交联增加的函数：过渡1从易变形的网络（软性相）到等静力刚性网络（中间相），过渡2从中间相到应力刚性相。“均衡”一词意味着不存在会产生压力的多余键。中间阶段表示应力（能量）全局最小的无序系统的自组织阶段。这些关于无序分子网络自组织的观点可以扩展到生物网络（蛋白质折叠）和电子网络（高t超导体）。FTIR光谱仪的采集将首次使探测红外主动模式成为可能。此外，ft -拉曼模块将允许探测具有光学间隙的玻璃，包括一些技术上更重要的材料系统。从教育的角度来看，仪器的获得将允许材料研究超硬薄膜，沸石，纳米级极化发光二极管，粘土，铁电体和硅基结构，除了玻璃。该仪器将直接影响辛辛那提大学工程学院、艺术学院和科学学院的30多名研究生在这些材料上工作的毕业论文。此外，该仪器将为研究生课程的学生提供实践经验。加州大学和北肯塔基大学的本科生将受益于在高年级和本科生研究项目中使用该设施。此外，教职员工将与少数族裔本科生合作，作为一个项目的一部分，旨在使这些学生对现有的研究机会产生兴趣。招募少数民族高中生在暑假期间参加实验室工作。教师们还将向四年级到七年级的学生和他们的家长做报告，作为家庭科学学院外展工作的一部分，让孩子们对科学和工程在我们生活中的作用感兴趣。

This grant provides support for the acquisition of a Fourier Transform Infrared Raman (FTIR) spectrometer system to probe intermediate phases in disordered systems at the University of Cincinnati. Network glasses have served as a paradigm of disordered systems. Raman scattering and modulated-differential-scanning-calorimetry experiments have shown that the onset of stressed rigidity in glasses involves two elastic phase transitions as a function of increasing cross-linking: transition-1 from an easily deformable network (floppy phase) to an isostatically rigid network (intermediate phase), and transition-2 from an intermediate phase to a stressed rigid phase. The term isostatic connotes absence of redundant bonds that would create stress. Intermediate phases represent self-organized phases of disordered systems in which stress (energy) is globally minimized. These ideas on self-organization of disordered molecular networks may extend to biological ones (protein folding) and electronic ones (high-T superconductors). The FTIR spectrometer acquisition will make possible, for the first time, the probing of IR-active modes. Furthermore, the FT-Raman module will permit probing glasses with optical gaps to include some of the technologically more important materials systems. From an educational point of view, the instrument acquisition will permit materials research of superhard thin-films, zeolites, nanoscale polarized light-emitting diodes, clays, ferroelectrics and silicon based structures in addition to glasses. %%%The instrument will impact directly the graduate thesis of more than 30 graduate students working on these materials across several departments in the Colleges of Engineering, and Arts and Sciences at the University of Cincinnati. In addition, the instrument will provide hands on experience to students in graduate courses. Undergraduate students at UC and at Northern Kentucky University will benefit from use of the facility in seniors and undergraduate research projects. Furthermore, the faculty will work with select groups of minority undergraduates, as part of a program established to interest these students into available research opportunities. Minority high school students will be recruited to participate in laboratory work during summer recess. The faculty will also give presentations to 4th through 7th graders and their parents, as part of the Family Science Academy outreach effort to interest children in the role of Science and Engineering in our lives.