CAREER: Synthesis of New Materials in Mixed Molten Metal Solvents

技术说明本项目的目标是在混合熔融金属溶剂中合成新材料。它集中在两类材料，金属间化合物和低氧化物。熔融金属中的合成允许低反应温度，这可能导致形成不寻常的新亚稳相。拟议的研究将调查两种不同的金属组合作为金属间化合物和低氧化物合成的混合溶剂的影响。新的金属间相将通过在低熔点金属混合物（例如钙-锌共晶或铈-镍共晶）中组合元素反应物来合成。这些产品将使用X射线晶体学进行结构表征，并将进行潜在的储氢应用和磁有序测试。在探索由氧化物前体合成低氧化物化合物的过程中，熔融金属助熔剂不仅充当溶剂，而且充当氧化物反应物的还原剂。强还原金属（如钠、镁、钙、铝或镧）和更惰性的金属（如锡、铟、镓或铋）的助熔剂混合物将以不同的比例制备，以控制给定氧化物反应物的还原程度。通过控制熔剂混合物的电化学功率，可以定制具有所需比例的离子和导电结构部分的低价产物，从而设计特定的电子性质，例如带隙和功函数。将使用X射线晶体学、固态核磁共振和光学测量来表征所得材料。非技术性解释预计，由于这项资助而产生的许多智力进步将使广泛的新材料成为可能，这些新材料具有新的结构和潜在的用途，如储氢合金、磁性化合物和光学传感器。这项研究是佛罗里达州立大学（FSU）材料科学发展重点的一部分，因此将对学生和科学界产生更广泛的影响。通过这个项目和在FSU材料科学课程的相关建立，学生在各种技能水平（高中，本科，研究生和博士后）将在这个高度跨学科的领域进行培训。这将使他们能够与各个领域（如化学，物理，材料科学和工程）的科学家进行富有成效的互动，并更好地了解现代科学和技术日益复杂的性质。

TECHNICAL EXPLANATIONThe goal of this project is to synthesize new materials in mixed molten metal solvents. It focuses on two classes of materials, intermetallics and suboxides. Synthesis in molten metals allows for low reaction temperatures, which can result in the formation of unusual new metastable phases. The proposed research will investigate the effects of combining two different metals to act as a mixed solvent for the synthesis of intermetallics and suboxides. New intermetallic phases will be synthesized by combining elemental reactants in low melting metal mixtures such as a calcium-zink eutectic or a cerium-nickel eutectic. The products will be structurally characterized using X-ray crystallography, and they will be tested for potential hydrogen storage applications and magnetic ordering. In the exploration of suboxide compound synthesis from oxide precursors, the molten metal flux will act not only as a solvent, but also as a reducing agent toward the oxide reactants. Flux mixtures of a strongly reducing metal (such as sodium, magnesium, calcium, aluminum, or lanthanum) and a more inert metal (such as tin, indium, gallium, or bismuth) will be prepared in varying ratios to control the extent of reduction of a given oxide reactant. By controlling the electrochemical power of the flux mixture, it may be possible to tailor a subvalent product with a desired ratio of ionic and conducting structural moieties, and thereby design specific electronic properties such as band gap and work function. The resulting materials will be characterized using X-ray crystallography, solid state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, and optical measurements. NON-TECHNICAL EXPLANATIONIt is anticipated that a number of intellectual advances resulting from this grant will make possible a wide range of new materials, with new structures and potential uses such as hydrogen storage alloys, magnetic compounds, and optical sensors. This research is part of the developing focus on materials science at Florida State University (FSU), and will thereby result in a broader impact on students and the scientific community. Through this project and the related establishment of a materials science curriculum at FSU, students at a variety of skill levels (high school, undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral) will be trained in this highly interdisciplinary field. This will enable them to interact productively with scientists in a variety of areas (such as chemistry, physics, materials science, and engineering), and to better understand the increasingly complex nature of modern science and technology.