CAREER: Chemistry with Simple Tetrahedral Building Blocks: Synthesis and Study of Bulk and Nanocrystalline Diamond-Like Semiconductors with Novel Optical & Magnetic Propertie

本课题的目标是合成和表征新型类金刚石半导体（DLS）和具有类金刚石结构的稀磁半导体。DLS是一种特别有吸引力的材料，因为它们在许多领域都有潜在的应用。这些材料的制备将采用四种合成策略：微波辐照、溶剂热反应、熔融金属生长和高温固态合成。目标材料是根据理论预测精心选择的，这些化合物应该具有有趣的性质。这些新型半导体的光学、电学和磁学性能将作为组成和结构的函数被系统地研究。这些系统的组成灵活性将允许物理性质的调整。这项研究有可能使我们更接近于实现用于专业非线性光学应用和在室温下工作的基于自旋的器件的新材料。拟议的项目以几种方式将研究和教育结合起来，例如开发材料化学新课程、研究生和本科生研究、少数民族高中生暑期研究和面向妇女和少数民族的推广活动。非技术说明类金刚石半导体是重要的材料，因为它们具有多种有用的应用。这个项目的重点是通过传统和非传统的途径制备这些材料，并测量它们的性能。拟议的研究具有更广泛的影响，因为它有可能通过识别具有所需性能的新化合物，影响严重依赖具有独特光学和磁性特征的材料的技术。该项目制备的新型非线性光学材料在光谱学、医学和遥感等领域具有潜在的应用前景。通过该项目制备的磁性半导体可能会使许多技术受益，包括IC（集成电路）卡，导弹控制和量子计算。参与该项目的研究生、本科生和高中生将接受政府、学术、制药、化学和犯罪实验室的职业培训。将开设新课程以加强本系的材料化学课程。该项目将通过面向经济条件不利的高中生（其中许多是少数民族）的SEED项目和面向迪肯大学研究生和本科生的女性参与科学项目，扩大代表性不足群体对科学的参与。

TECHNICAL EXPLANATIONThe goal of this project is to synthesize and characterize new diamond-like semiconductors (DLS) and dilute magnetic semiconductors with diamond-like structures. DLS are a particularly attractive category of materials to pursue because they have potential applications in a variety of fields. The preparation of these materials will be carried out using four synthetic strategies: microwave irradiation, solvothermal reaction, molten metal growth and high-temperature solid-state synthesis. Targeted materials have been carefully chosen based upon theoretical predictions that these compounds should possess interesting properties. The optical, electrical and magnetic properties of these new semiconductors will be systematically studied as a function of composition and structure. The compositional flexibility in these systems will allow for the tuning of physical properties. This research has the potential to bring us closer to the realization of new materials for specialized non-linear optical applications and spin-based devices that function near room temperature. The proposed project integrates research and education in several ways, such as development of new courses in materials chemistry, graduate and undergraduate research, minority high school student summer research and outreach activities geared towards women and minorities.NON-TECHNICAL EXPLANATIONDiamond-like semiconductors are important materials because they exhibit a variety of useful applications. This project focuses on preparing these materials via both traditional and nontraditional avenues and measuring their properties. The proposed research has broader impacts in its potential to affect technologies that rely heavily upon materials with unique optical and magnetic characteristics, by identifying new compounds with the desired properties. New nonlinear optical materials prepared through this project have potential uses in the areas of spectroscopy, medicine and remote sensing. Magnetic semiconductors prepared through this project could potentially benefit numerous technologies, including IC (integrated circuit) cards, missile control and quantum computing. Graduate, undergraduate and high school students involved in this project will be trained for careers in government, academic, pharmaceutical, chemical and crime laboratories. New courses will be developed to strengthen the department's materials chemistry curriculum. This project will broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in science through the Project SEED program for economically disadvantaged high school students, many of whom are minorities, and the Women in Science program at Duquesne University for graduate and undergraduate female students.