MRI: Acquisition of a System for Novel Synthesis of Glasses in Extreme Environments

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0922924AffatigatoCoe CollegeTechnical summaryThis grant will allow the Coe College glass research groups to enhance their glass making capabilities through the addition of a laser beam heated aerodynamic levitation system. This system will enable them to extend the compositional range of several technologically important glass families; to study novel glassy materials; and to train undergraduate students in cutting-edge materials development. It will also allow the Coe groups to grow their abilities in the preparation of exotic oxide glasses and glasses at compositional extremes. The instrumentation will be initially used for the study of new glass forming systems, including pure oxide glassformers like TeO2 and Sb2O3 and binaries like Na2O-Bi2O3.; for the study of fragility in lead- and alkali-aluminate systems; and to investigate polyamorphism in borate glasses.The advantages of the laser-beam-heated levitation system in novel synthesis are many. It can attain sample temperatures from about 500 to 3000 K, much higher than traditional furnaces. It avoids heterogeneous crystallization (and hence enhances glass formation) by providing a containerless processing environment that completely eliminates contact with surfaces. It ensures the purity of the final sample by avoiding possible crucible contamination, regardless of the reactivity (corrosion) of the melt. A cadre of undergraduate students will be trained in the operation of the levitation system, exposing them to a state-of-the-art manufacturing technique.Layman?s summaryCurrently the nation needs new materials for a variety of challenges in the field of energy, medicine, national security, and the environment. These new applications often require the development of novel materials beyond what is available through normal manufacturing methods, as well as groups of scientists with the know-how of the materials? production.The research to be carried out under this grant will enable Coe College scientists, together with their undergraduate students, to make glasses under extreme conditions. Namely, they will use a laser-heating and levitation setup to melt and then float, in mid-air, a pellet of glass. By using this ?containerless? processing, they will be able to make new glasses and traditional glasses at unheard-of chemical compositions. They will also look at the differences in the structures of glasses as a function of cooling rates and other factors. In the process they will train a cadre of young scientists on the skills required to manufacture cutting-edge amorphous materials, readying them for future challenges in their careers. The students will get their training primarily through the research work?a significant boost for undergraduate researchers?but also through the use of the instrument in selected physics courses.