Synthetic Approaches to Heterotrimetallic Molecular Precursors with Specific Metal Ratios for the Target Materials

国家科学基金会化学部的化学合成计划支持纽约州立大学奥尔巴尼分校的叶夫根尼·迪卡列夫教授的研究计划。该项目专注于在温和的条件下制造电池应用的重要材料；这被称为软化学“方法”。主要目标是下一代可充电电池材料。可充电电池是日益增长的能源储存领域的关键组成部分，专注于可再生能源和绿色能源。关于可持续性问题，该项目寻求有效地用钠、镁和铁等丰富元素取代铂等昂贵金属的战略。电池安全问题也在考虑之中。该项目为可用于制造先进可充电电池材料的新技术奠定了基础。为了支持该项目的更广泛影响，迪卡列夫博士积极参与了一个与国家利益相关的项目，以创建一个新的设计药物的数据库，全国各地的法医调查实验室可以利用该数据库来识别非法物质。这项研究为可预测设计的异三金属化合物开发了新的合成方法，这些化合物的分子结构和比例使其成为低温制备目标材料的良好前体。具体地说，制备和探索前驱体用于合成通过传统高温技术难以或不可能获得的潜在正极材料。目标材料是可充电电池的氧化物、氟化物、硅酸盐和磷酸盐正极材料。它们包含特定的A/M/M‘(A=锂、钠、镁；M，M’=3d过渡金属)组合，这些组合在异三金属前体中重复。随着目标的广泛选择，分子前驱体技术在复杂材料合成中的应用范围也得到了探索。这项研究的主要实践成果是证明单一来源的前体是否可以促进制备具有高纯度、准确的化学计量比、低制备温度、纳米颗粒形态、清洁的表面，特别是高度均匀的金属分布的多金属材料。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Chemical Synthesis Program of the Chemistry Division of the National Science Foundation supports the research program of Professor Evgeny Dikarev of the SUNY at Albany. This project focuses on manufacturing important materials for battery applications under mild conditions; this is known as a soft chemistry” approach. The main targets are the next generation of rechargeable battery materials. Rechargeable batteries represent a critical component of the growing energy storage field, focused on renewable and green energy sources. In relation to sustainability issues, this project seeks strategies for the efficient replacement of expensive metals such as platinum with abundant elements such as sodium, magnesium, and iron. Battery safety issues are also under consideration. The project lays the ground work for new technologies that can be adopted for the fabrication of advanced rechargeable battery materials. In support of the broader impacts of the project, Dr. Dikarev is actively engaged in a program of national interest to create a database of new designer drugs that can be utilized by forensic investigation laboratories across the country for the identification of illicit substances.This research develops new synthetic approaches for the predictable design of heterotrimetallic compounds whose molecular structures and ratios make them good precursors for the low temperature preparation of targeted materials. Specifically, precursors are prepared and explored for the synthesis of prospective cathode materials that are difficult or impossible to obtain by conventional high-temperature techniques. The targeted materials are the oxide, fluoride, silicate, and phosphate cathode materials of rechargeable batteries. These contain specific A/M/M' (A = lithium, sodium, magnesium; M, M' = 3d transition metal) combinations, which are duplicated in the heterotrimetallic precursors. With the broad choice of targets the extent to which the molecular precursor technique can be utilized in complex materials synthesis is explored. The major practical outcome of this research is to demonstrate if single-source precursors can facilitate the preparation of multimetallic materials with high purity, exact stoichiometry, low preparation temperature, nanosized particle morphology, clean surface, and, especially, highly homogeneous metal distribution.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.