CAREER: Polyamorphic Behavior in Tetrahedral Network Glasses and Liquids

怀俄明大学的Jeffrey Yarger教授是由理论和计算化学项目资助的，作为职业生涯奖，他进行的实验旨在对多晶固体的相变有新的认识。迄今为止，多晶态的唯一证明是在固体水中。由于水的重要性，因此人们对了解多态现象和寻找其他例子非常感兴趣。PI将在其他四面体束缚系统（如BeF2）中寻找此类效应。方法是使用最先进的核磁共振和光散射方法，如布里渊光谱。该项目还将把基于激光的光散射引入物理化学实验课，重点是使实验与生物化学学生相关。对新材料性能日益增长的需求为非晶材料及其相变的研究提供了一些动力。此外，这项研究可以帮助我们了解水的一些不寻常的特性。对生物化学专业的学生进行物理方法方面的培训将大有裨益，因为生物学的进步在很大程度上依赖于先进的技术。

Professor Jeffrey Yarger of the University of Wyoming is funded by the Theoretical and Computational Chemistry program as a CAREER award to perform experiments aimed at developing a new understanding of phase transitions in polyamorphic solids. To date, the only demonstration of polyamorphism is in solid water. Because of the importance of water, it is therefore of great interest to understand polyamorphism and to seek other examples. The PI will look for such effects in other tetrahedrally bound systems such as BeF2. The approach is to use cutting edge NMR and light scattering methods such as Brillouin spectroscopy. The PI will also introduce laser based light scattering into the physical chemistry laboratory class, with an emphasis on making the experiments relevant to biochemistry students. The increasing need for novel material properties provides some of the motivation for study of amorphous materials and their phase transitions. Additionally, this research could help us to understand some of the unusual properties of water. The training of biochemistry majors in physical methods will be of great benefit as biological advances depend to a greater extent on sophisticated technology.