LEAPS-MPS: Exploring Thiophosphates as Balanced Middle-infrared Nonlinear Optical Materials

LEAPS-MPS：探索硫代磷酸盐作为平衡中红外非线性光学材料

• 批准号: 2316811
• 负责人: Jian Wang
• 金额: $ 23.83万
• 依托单位: Wichita State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-09-01 至 2025-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2316811&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: LEAPS; MPS; Exploring; Thiophosphates; Balanced

Non-Technical SummaryWhen you wait to check out in a supermarket, do you ever wonder how the staff can scan everything so fast? 'Ding', one done. 'Ding', another done! You need barcodes printed on items and an infrared laser scanner! This is not the only example of infrared lasers used in our daily life! In addition to our daily life, infrared lasers have various important applications such as instrumental spectroscopy, optical sensing, optical imaging, and long-distance communications. To generate infrared lasers, one crucial and applicable way is via the nonlinear harmonic generation process, where two or more photons are merged together. The nonlinear harmonic generation process is incorporated into solid-state laser systems, which are compact, highly efficient, and reliable. The heart of the nonlinear harmonic generation process is the infrared nonlinear optical (IR NLO) material. With support through an MPS-LEAPS award, which is in part funded by the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), the principal investigator from Wichita State University employs the design, synthesis, discovery, optimization, and crystal growth of emerging inorganic compounds for IR NLO applications. Thus newly discovered materials are expected to be useful to generate IR lasers. The educational efforts of the award are to incorporate research into inorganic chemistry teaching and outreach activities via the development of a crystal museum, diverse hiring, development of a new class, and outreach activities to elementary schools. The PI builds a diverse team by hiring women researchers, African-American students, first generation college students, and other groups underrepresented in scientific fields.Technical SummaryMiddle Infrared nonlinear optical materials (MIR NLO) have sparked growing interest due to their capability to extend infrared laser frequencies via the second harmonic generation process. This research project, supported by an MPS-LEAPS award, emphasizes employing various synthetic methods, achieving balanced NLO properties via different strategies, understanding electronic structures and bonding characteristics via TB-LMTO-ASA simulations, and growing large crystals. The proposed research advances the understanding of the structure-property relationships of inorganic compounds such as thiophosphates and uncovers promising MIR NLO materials. Thiophosphates are a class of materials combining sulfur and phosphorus. The PI and his research group tackle the exploration of thiophosphates as MIR NLO materials, which are aimed to replace current MIR NLO materials. Current MIR NLO materials have low laser damage thresholds and modest conversion efficiencies. The developed new materials are utilized to produce new frequencies of mid-IR lasers, which enables a wide range of spectroscopic studies in chemistry, biology, and physics, etc. The employed methodology of understanding crystal growth processes via in-situ powder X-ray coupled with differential scanning calorimetry tests shortens the “trial and error” process of crystal growth of new phases. Understanding how the electronic structure influences optical properties, and how geometry, topology, and defects affect electronic structure, helps build promising functional materials such as quantum materials, thermoelectric materials, etc. The long-term educational goal for the PI and his research group is to incorporate research into inorganic chemistry teaching, increase the diversity and inclusion of the PI’s research team, increase public engagement of chemistry, train next generation chemists, and support students from minority groups underrepresented in STEM.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.

当你在超市等着结账时，你有没有想过工作人员怎么能这么快就扫描完所有的东西？叮，一个完成。“叮”，又完成了！您需要在物品上打印条形码和红外激光扫描仪！这并不是我们日常生活中使用红外激光的唯一例子！除了我们的日常生活，红外激光器还有各种重要的应用，如仪器光谱，光学传感，光学成像和远距离通信。为了产生红外激光，一种关键且适用的方法是通过非线性谐波产生过程，其中两个或多个光子合并在一起。非线性谐波产生过程被纳入固态激光系统，这是紧凑的，高效的，可靠的。非线性谐波产生过程的核心是红外非线性光学（IR NLO）材料。在MPS-LEAPS奖的支持下，部分由刺激竞争研究的既定计划（EPSCoR）资助，来自威奇托州立大学的首席研究员采用了IR NLO应用的新兴无机化合物的设计，合成，发现，优化和晶体生长。 因此，新发现的材料有望用于产生红外激光。该奖项的教育工作是通过发展水晶博物馆，多样化的招聘，开发新课程和小学外展活动，将研究纳入无机化学教学和外展活动。PI通过雇佣女性研究人员、非裔美国学生、第一代大学生和其他在科学领域代表性不足的群体，建立了一个多元化的团队。技术摘要中红外非线性光学材料（MIR NLO）由于能够通过二次谐波产生过程扩展红外激光频率，引起了人们越来越大的兴趣。该研究项目得到了MPS-LEAPS奖的支持，强调采用各种合成方法，通过不同的策略实现平衡的NLO特性，通过TB-LMTO-阿萨模拟了解电子结构和键合特性，以及生长大晶体。该研究推进了对无机化合物如硫代磷酸盐的结构-性能关系的理解，并揭示了有前途的MIR NLO材料。硫代磷酸盐是一类结合硫和磷的材料。PI和他的研究小组致力于探索硫代磷酸盐作为MIR NLO材料，旨在取代目前的MIR NLO材料。目前的MIR NLO材料具有低的激光损伤阈值和适度的转换效率。开发的新材料被用来产生新频率的中红外激光，这使得广泛的光谱研究在化学，生物学和物理学等，采用的方法，了解晶体生长过程中，通过原位粉末X射线结合差示扫描量热法测试缩短了“试错”过程中的晶体生长的新阶段。了解电子结构如何影响光学性质，以及几何，拓扑和缺陷如何影响电子结构，有助于构建有前途的功能材料，如量子材料，热电材料等。PI及其研究小组的长期教育目标是将研究纳入无机化学教学，增加PI研究团队的多样性和包容性，增加公众对化学的参与，培养下一代化学家，并支持STEM中代表性不足的少数群体的学生。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。