Synthesis of Lower Valent Rare Earth Metal Phosphates

这一SGER建议的作者旨在合成和表征一类用于可见光和近红外光谱区的新型激光材料。将继续进行还原稀土金属磷酸盐化合物的固相合成，重点是氧代型磷酸盐阴离子骨架中的低价稀土金属阳离子，如Sc和Y。将利用莱斯大学现有的设备，通过粉末或单晶X射线衍射、红外光谱、差热分析、磁化率、光电子能谱和高分辨率电子显微镜等技术来生长单晶和表征新相。探索性合成具有不寻常的氧化态和配位的新型化合物是一个迅速崛起的领域，它提供了新材料或重要的“热技术”领域，如磁性和具有尖锐荧光线、强吸收带和高量子效率的新激光材料。

The author of this SGER Proposal aims to synthesize and characterize a new class of laser materials for the visible and near infrared spectral region. The solid-state synthesis of compounds consisting of reduced rare earth metal phosphates will be pursued, with the emphasis of this effort on the lower valent rare earth metal cations such as scandium and yttrium in an oxo- type phosphate anion framework. Growing single crystals and characterizing new phases by techniques such as powder or single crystal x-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, differential thermal analysis, magnetic susceptability, photoelectron spectroscopy and high resolution electron microscopy will be done with equipment presently aailable for this project at Rice University. The exploratory synthesis of new classes of compounds with unusual oxidation states and coordination is a rapidly emerging area that is providing new materials or important "hot technology" areas such as magnetism and new laser materials exhibiting sharp fluorescent lines, strong absorption bands, and high quantum efficiencies.