Crystal Growth of Lanthanide Intermetallics with Competing Magnetic Interactions

在材料研究部固态和材料化学计划的支持下，该提案的主要焦点是生长具有不寻常的磁和电性能的镧系金属间化合物单晶，用于能源应用。单晶的生长是决定新型磁性材料性能的必要条件。这是出于理解不寻常的磁性，从而减少我们对关键元素的依赖。该提案的单晶生长方面将使参与该项目的学生能够确定和表征新材料的结构，并阐明新化合物的内在性质。本项目的目标是发现和生长高质量的金属间化合物单晶，用于磁性、电学和运输应用，特别是具有不寻常基态和竞争磁性相互作用的化合物。 提出了几类含有镧系元素、中过渡金属和第13-14族元素的材料。研究小组将合成采用CaCo 2Al 8结构类型的化合物，并确定LnMxGa 3，Ln 4 MGa 12（Ln =镧系元素，M = Cr，Mn，Fe）和ScFeGa 5的结构稳定性，从而在不同基态之间建立微妙的平衡，特别是在支持电子之间强相关或量子力学相互作用的材料中。 此外，复合锡化物的生长将使得能够研究表现出低晶格热导率的化合物。参与该项目的本科生和研究生将有机会合成和表征新化合物，并测量他们在实验室发现的化合物的磁性和电学性质。

Nontechnical AbstractWith support from the Solid State and Materials Chemistry program in the Division of Materials Research, the primary focus of this proposal is to grow single crystals of lanthanide intermetallics with unusual magnetic and electrical properties for energy applications. The growth of single crystals is necessary to determine properties of novel magnetic materials. This is motivated by understanding unusual magnetism thereby decreasing our dependence on critical elements. The single crystal growth aspects of this proposal will enable students involved in the project to determine and characterize the structures of new materials and elucidate intrinsic properties of the new compounds. Technical AbstractThe goal of this project is to discover and grow high quality single crystals of intermetallics for magnetic, electrical, and transport applications, in particular compounds with unusual ground states and competing magnetic interactions. Several classes of materials containing lanthanide, mid-transition metals, and Group 13-14 elements are proposed. The research team will synthesize compounds adopting the CaCo2Al8 structure type and determine the structural stability of LnMxGa3, Ln4MGa12 (Ln = Lanthanide, M = Cr, Mn, Fe), and ScFeGa5 allowing for the creation of a delicate balance between dissimilar ground states, especially in materials supporting strongly correlated or quantum-mechanical interactions among the electrons. Furthermore, the growth of complex stannides will enable the study of compounds exhibiting low lattice thermal conductivities. Undergraduate and graduate students involved in this project will have the opportunity to synthesize and characterize new compounds and measure magnetic and electrical properties of the compounds they discovered in the lab.