Lamellar Inorganic Solids as Building Blocks for Functional Materials

宾夕法尼亚州立大学-大学公园的Thomas Mallouk教授受到无机，生物无机和有机金属化学项目的支持，探索新型层状无机氧化物（层状钙钛矿）的合理合成，并研究它们的化学转化，薄膜和纳米颗粒阵列的生长，以及作为质子导体和燃料电池催化剂的应用。这项研究将弥合拓扑化学反应之间的差距，拓扑化学反应是为早期过渡金属钙钛矿开发的，而有趣的物理性质通常只适用于八面体b位的中晚期过渡金属。研究小组将通过实验和计算模型将原子和纳米微尺度的固体结构与输运行为联系起来。这些材料既可以作为质子导体，也可以作为电催化剂的支撑结构，因此，在能量存储设备中可能具有重要的工业应用。本科生和研究生将参与这个跨学科的研究项目，包括化学合成、固体性质测量、电化学和计算建模。Mallouk教授和他的团队还将继续为宾夕法尼亚州立大学的普通化学实验室开发材料化学实验，重点开发新的综合项目，将化学概念和技术应用于一个结构化的、但探索性的、涉及无机材料的顶点实验室。他们还将继续与宾夕法尼亚州立大学行动潜力科学经验的工作人员合作，在为期一周的科学营中为5 -8年级的学生开发和展示纳米科学课程。

Professor Thomas Mallouk of the Pennsylvania State University - University Park is supported by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry program to explore the rational synthesis of new layered inorganic oxides (layer perovskites) and study their chemical transformations, growth as thin films and arrays of nanoparticles, and application as proton conductors and catalyst supports for fuel cells.This research will bridge the gap between topochemical reactions, which have been developed for early transition metal perovskites and the interesting physical properties which are usually available only with mid- to late-transition metals in octahedral B-sites. The research group will relate the solid state structures at both the atomic and nano-microscale levels to transport behavior by means of experiment and computational modeling. These materials can behave as both proton conductors and electrocatalyst support structures and thus, may have important industrial applications in energy storage devices. Undergraduate and graduate students will be involved in this interdisciplinary research project that includes chemical synthesis, solid state property measurements, electrochemistry, and computational modeling. Professor Mallouk and his group will also continue to develop materials chemistry experiments for the general chemistry laboratories at Penn State, focusing on developing new integrated projects that apply chemical concepts and techniques to a structured, but exploratory, capstone laboratory involving inorganic materials. They will also continue to work with the staff of the Penn State Action Potential Science Experience to develop and present a nanoscience curriculum for 5th-8th graders in a one week science camp.