RUI: A National Model in Undergraduate Research: Glass Science at Coe College

在接下来的四年里，我们将让32名本科生参加两个密切相关的玻璃科学研究小组。在我们将解决的科学问题中，玻璃中的中程有序的性质，重点是硼酸盐玻璃。我们正在使用一种对本科生极具激励作用的多管齐下的方法，包括高场核磁共振、飞行时间质谱学、中子散射(使用英国卢瑟福实验室ISIS的Mari和GEM探测器)、拉曼和FTIR光谱以及扫描探针显微镜。我们还使用高精度的摩尔体积、热测量和弹性常数来将物理性质与中间范围有序的定量模型联系起来。我们继续使用飞行时间质谱学来研究重金属氧化物玻璃系统中的原子排列。这项技术的目标是确定三元系统中玻璃网络的混合程度(可能通过纳米级的相分离来证明)和氧化物玻璃中金属离子的聚集。我们研究的第三个重点是通过使用快速冷却来阐明新的玻璃形成系统。我们目前正在研究用双辊法制备的玻璃碱性钒酸盐。除了近30名学生的直接参与外，我们相信我们与本科生的研究方法可以作为物理学和材料界的典范，我们计划在国家层面上讨论这一问题。该项目旨在为近30名学生提供令人兴奋的最先进的本科生研究体验。学生将参与一些内部和协作实验，以帮助回答这些问题：玻璃的结构是什么，原子结构与玻璃显示的物理性质有何关系？我们现在正在从对短程有序的理解转向对结构的理解，可能是十到二十个原子的水平。我们向学生提出的另一个研究问题是，我们可以使用熔体的快速冷却(超过100,000 oC/秒)来形成什么新的玻璃形成系统？除了为这些本科生提供广泛的研究培训外，我们在过去25年的研究还导致了一种与本科生合作的教育模式，这可能会为国家服务。

During the next four years we will involve 32 undergraduates in two closely allied research groups in glass science. Among the scientific questions we will address is the nature of the intermediate range order in glass with a focus on borate glasses. We are using a multi-prong approach that is highly motivating to undergraduate students including high field nuclear magnetic resonance, time-of-flight mass spectroscopy, neutron scattering (using the MARI and GEM detectors at ISIS at the Rutherford lab in the UK), Raman and FTIR spectroscopies, and scanning probe microscopy. We are also using highly precise molar volumes, thermal measures, and elastic constants to relate physical properties to quantitative models of the intermediate range order. We continue our pioneering use of time-of-flight mass spectroscopy to study the atomic arrangements in heavy metal oxide glass systems. The goals of this technique are to identify the extent of mixing of glass networks in ternary systems (perhaps evidenced by nanoscale phase separation) and clustering of metal ions in oxide glasses. A third thrust of our research is the elucidation of new glass-forming systems through the use of rapid cooling. We are currently investigating glassy alkali vanadates prepared using the twin-roller method. Besides the direct involvement of nearly three dozen students, we believe our research methods with undergraduates may serve as a model for the physics and materials communities and we plan to discuss it at the national level.This project is designed to provide exciting state-of-the art undergraduate research experiences to nearly three dozen students. Students will participate in a number of in-house and collaborative experiments to help answer these questions: What is the structure of glass and how does the atomic structure relate to the physical properties displayed by the glasses? We are now moving from an understanding of short-range order to an understanding of the structure at the level of perhaps ten to twenty atoms. Another research question we ask with our students is what new glass forming systems may we form using rapid cooling (more than 100,000oC/second) of melts? Besides providing extensive research training to these undergraduates our research over the past twenty-five years has led to an educational model of working with undergraduate students that may serve the nation.