Outreach Programs

Education Programs Technology Outreach Program International Programs Distinguished Lecturer Series International Center for Materials Research MRL Diversity Fellowship MRL Travel Fellowship

Intern: Willie Wesley, Chemistry, Jackson State University Mentor: Brent Melot Faculty Supervisor: Ram Seshadri Department: Materials

SYNTHESIS OF METAL OXIDE SPINELS USING HYDROTHERMAL TECHNIQUES

Little is known about the fundamental science behind magnetic interactions in crystallogrpahically-disordered materials. In order to further understand these interactions, we performed various methods of synthesis in an attempt to control the crystallographic ordering of oxides. The traditional route for preparing transition metal oxides requires the use of high temperature reactions. These high temperatures are detrimental to the synthesis of transition metal oxide spinels because the atoms in the crystal have a tendency to randomly distribute to the wrong crystallographic sites, resulting in a disordered structure with properties that are hard to control. In an attempt to control this atomic ordering, we have prepared nanocrystals of CoGa2O4 using a hydrothermal method. Hydrothermal techniques are conducted at milder conditions, therefore it is expected that the prepared nanocrystals will order appropriately. We will present structural and magnetic data demonstrating the difference between our nanocrystals prepared with hydrothermal techniques and samples prepared at high temperatures.

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