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作为职业奖励资助的，他的目的是进行实验，旨在对多相固体中的相变产生新的理解。到目前为止，多晶化作用的唯一证据是在固体水中。由于水的重要性，因此理解多晶性和寻找其他例子是非常有兴趣的。PI将在其他四面体束缚体系中寻找这样的效应，如BeF2。方法是使用尖端的核磁共振和光散射方法，如布里渊光谱。PI还将在物理化学实验课中引入基于激光的光散射，重点是使实验与生物化学学生相关。对新材料性能的日益增长的需求为非晶态材料及其相变的研究提供了一些动力。此外，这项研究还可以帮助我们了解水的一些不寻常的性质。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尖端技术。

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.