RUI: Structure and Properties of New, Practical Glasses

Coe College, Cedar Rapids IA

Investigators

Abstract

This project is jointly funded by two Programs in the Division of Materials Research: Condensed Matter Physics (CMP) and Ceramics (CER). NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: Novel glasses are important for new generations of devices, flat screens, and detectors. Candidate glasses are being prepared and characterized at Coe College in collaboration with many groups around the world (e.g., in Brazil, Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom). The glass preparations are often non-traditional and use rapid cooling (about 1,000,000 C/s), laser aero-levitation to nearly 3000 C, and alternative chemical approaches. The characterization of these glasses probe the atomic structure and related physical properties. The atomic structure is identified using an array of spectroscopies. Physical properties that are important include the glass softening temperature, the efficient use of space by the atoms, the compositional limits for glass formation, and electrical conductivity. Projects focus on glasses in medicine, developing conducting glasses for medical and particle detectors, manufacturing glass composites that inhibit bacteria, and glow-in-the-dark crystals that last hours. Broader impacts include the training of about 50 undergraduate and high school students and reaching out to local schools and across campus. Based on history, it is anticipated that nearly 30 of these students will continue into graduate programs. Students serve the nation in industry and national labs in materials science, computer science, electrical engineering, and several other areas of engineering and physics. TECHNICAL DETAILS: In an age of fiber optics and displays, innovative glasses are being studied using roller-quenching, laser aero-levitation, and chemical solution techniques including sol-gel methods. These approaches allow glasses to be made with reluctant formulations including binary and ternary vanadate glasses. These glasses are important as conductive glasses in detectors, high alkali content borate glasses for bactericidal uses, and scintillating alkali and alkaline-earth borosilicate glasses that incorporate inorganic and organic scintillators such as ZnO and P-terphenyl. Students are trained in several techniques including nuclear magnetic resonance, Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies, neutron scattering, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and laser induced time-of-flight mass spectroscopy. Also, students employ molecular dynamics simulations of structure using a 120 core computer system. Broader impacts include the extensive research training of ~40 Coe College undergraduate students and additional ten high school students. 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.