MIRT: Exploring Unusual Properties of Transition Metal Oxides

MIRT：探索过渡金属氧化物的不寻常性质

• 批准号: 1122603
• 负责人: Arumugam Manthiram
• 金额: $ 282万
• 依托单位: University of Texas at Austin
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-09-15 至 2015-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1122603&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MIRT; Exploring; Unusual; Properties; Transition

The mission of the Materials Interdisciplinary Research Team (MIRT) is to investigate the unusual properties of transition-metal oxides while producing a next generation of scientists and engineers well-trained in the area of advanced materials. The MIRT integrates materials researchers at the University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin) and the University of Virginia with educational outreach programs involving K-12, undergraduate and graduate students, and the general public.The MIRT consisting of leading scientists with diverse theoretical and experimental expertise will investigate transition-metal oxides on three fronts: (i) developing a thorough and deep understanding of the change of d-electron properties from bulk to surface, which is critical for catalytic as well as insertion-compound electrodes for electrochemical energy conversion and storage, (ii) addressing strategically the long-standing problem of the localized to itinerant electronic transition, which is relevant to high-transition-temperature superconductivity and to the solid-state theory of magnetic interactions in orbitally disordered systems, and (iii) synthesizing new transition-metal oxides by novel approaches including high-pressure synthesis, soft chemistry synthesis, and growing high-quality crystals exhibiting exotic physical and chemical properties. The MIRT also focuses on emerging research topics such as oxide topological insulators, which includes exploring new magneto-optical effects in a sandwiched structure consisting of a topological insulator and a ferromagnetic layer, superconductivity, and new quantum states with potential application for quantum computing. A fundamental understanding of the unusual surface and bulk properties of transition-metal oxides is anticipated to have a profound impact on new materials development for the next generation of electronic and electrochemical energy devices. The project will establish broad collaborations with scientists at synchrotron and neutron facilities in the U.S. and abroad. The project would provide research training to graduate students with advanced equipment/facilities and specialized coursework that offers an interdisciplinary view of the physics, chemistry, and materials science phenomena that drive the key outstanding questions addressed by this MIRT. The graduate-undergraduate research environment, through the Graduates Linked with Undergraduates in Engineering (GLUE) program in partnership with the Women in Engineering Program (WEP) at the University of Texas, will provide not only a graduate-level research environment for female undergraduates, but also career and professional development. The planned recruiting and mentoring of Hispanic undergraduates will motivate them to pursue graduate studies in advanced materials. The undergraduates will receive hands-on training on various instruments available as shared user facilities or in the MIRT faculty laboratories and participate in research projects involving materials synthesis, characterization, and physical-property measurements. The MIRT faculty and students will give lectures and/or demonstrations of clean energy technologies involving oxides to Magnet Program students at middle and high schools as well as to the general public and K-12 students at Explore UT, a campus-wide open house.

材料跨学科研究团队 (MIRT) 的使命是研究过渡金属氧化物的不寻常特性，同时培养在先进材料领域训练有素的下一代科学家和工程师。 MIRT 将德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校 (UT-Austin) 和弗吉尼亚大学的材料研究人员整合在一起，开展教育推广计划，涉及 K-12、本科生和研究生以及公众。MIRT 由具有不同理论的领先科学家组成实验专业知识将从三个方面研究过渡金属氧化物：（i）对 d 电子特性从体相到表面的变化有一个全面而深入的了解，这对于催化以及电化学能源的插入化合物电极至关重要转换和存储， (ii) 从战略上解决长期存在的局域到巡回电子跃迁问题，该问题与高转变温度超导性和轨道无序系统中磁相互作用的固态理论有关，以及 (iii) 综合新的跃迁-通过高压合成、软化学合成和生长具有奇异物理和化学性质的高质量晶体等新方法来制备金属氧化物。 MIRT 还重点关注氧化物拓扑绝缘体等新兴研究课题，其中包括探索由拓扑绝缘体和铁磁层组成的夹层结构中的新磁光效应、超导性以及具有量子计算潜在应用的新量子态。对过渡金属氧化物不寻常的表面和整体特性的基本了解预计将对下一代电子和电化学能源设备的新材料开发产生深远影响。该项目将与美国和国外同步加速器和中子设施的科学家建立广泛的合作。该项目将为研究生提供先进的设备/设施和专业课程的研究培训，提供物理、化学和材料科学现象的跨学科视角，推动 MIRT 解决关键的突出问题。通过与德克萨斯大学女性工程项目 (WEP) 合作的研究生与工程本科生联系 (GLUE) 项目，研究生-本科生研究环境不仅将为女本科生提供研究生水平的研究环境，还有职业和专业发展。计划招募和指导西班牙裔本科生将激励他们攻读先进材料的研究生课程。本科生将接受使用共享用户设施或 MIRT 教员实验室提供的各种仪器的实践培训，并参与涉及材料合成、表征和物理性能测量的研究项目。 MIRT 教职员工和学生将在全校开放日“Explore UT”上向 Magnet 项目的初中和高中学生以及普通公众和 K-12 学生进行涉及氧化物的清洁能源技术的讲座和/或演示。