Quasi-free electron energy in near critical point atomic and molecular fluids

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This project, supported by a grant to Professors Cherice M. Evans (Queens College - CUNY) and Gary L. Findley (University of Louisiana at Monroe) from the Chemical Structure, Dynamics, and Mechanisms Program of the Division of Chemistry, explores the interactions between solutes in a near critical point supercritical fluid (SCF). The experiments will employ a synchrotron radiation source (e.g., University of Wisconsin Synchrotron Radiation Center) to measure the ionization energies of dopant molecules within the fluid at various electric field strengths and fluid number densities. The results from these studies will yield the minimum energy of the conduction band, which will be compared to predicted values obtained from the local Wigner-Seitz model. Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations will also be used to investigate the energy of a trapped electron in these same near critical point fluids. The use of supercritical fluids and near critical point fluids as a highly tunable solvent for the synthesis of high purity nanoparticles and pharmaceuticals is an emerging area of technology. This research will advance our understanding of critical point fluids in general and, therefore, will provide insights for those who seek to develop chemical reactions in near critical point SCFs. The research program will engage both graduate and undergraduate students at CUNY and ULM. A Research Experiences for Undergraduate (REU) activity will be integrated into the synchrotron radiation facility experiments.