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

在接下来的四年里，我们将有32名本科生在两个密切相关的玻璃科学研究小组中工作。在科学问题中，我们将解决的是玻璃中程秩序的性质，重点是硼酸盐玻璃。我们正在使用一种多管齐下的方法，这对本科生非常有激励作用，包括高场核磁共振、飞行时间质谱、中子散射（使用英国卢瑟福实验室ISIS的MARI和GEM探测器）、拉曼光谱和FTIR光谱，以及扫描探针显微镜。我们还使用高度精确的摩尔体积、热测量和弹性常数来将物理性质与中间范围顺序的定量模型联系起来。我们继续开创性地使用飞行时间质谱来研究重金属氧化物玻璃系统中的原子排列。该技术的目标是确定三元体系中玻璃网络的混合程度（可能由纳米级相分离证明）和氧化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成型系统。我们目前正在研究用双辊法制备玻璃状碱钒酸盐。除了近36名学生的直接参与外，我们相信我们对本科生的研究方法可以作为物理和材料界的典范，我们计划在全国范围内进行讨论。该项目旨在为近36名学生提供令人兴奋的最先进的本科研究经验。学生将参与一些内部和合作实验，以帮助回答这些问题：玻璃的结构是什么？原子结构与玻璃所显示的物理性质有何关系？我们现在正从对短程秩序的理解，过渡到对十到二十个原子水平的结构的理解。我们向学生提出的另一个研究问题是，使用熔体的快速冷却（超过100,000℃/秒），我们可以形成什么样的新的玻璃成型系统？除了为这些本科生提供广泛的研究培训外，我们在过去25年的研究已经形成了一种与本科生合作的教育模式，可以为国家服务。

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.