EPSRC Reference: |
GR/S78704/01 |
Title: |
New solid-state chemistry among light element C-O-N compounds under extreme high P-T conditions |
Principal Investigator: |
McMillan, Professor PF |
Other Investigators: |
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Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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Project Partners: |
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Department: |
Chemistry |
Organisation: |
UCL |
Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
Starts: |
01 June 2004 |
Ends: |
31 March 2005 |
Value (£): |
286,794
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EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
Chemical Structure |
Gas & Solution Phase Reactions |
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EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
No relevance to Underpinning Sectors |
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Related Grants: |
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Panel History: |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
The light elements C,O,N, etc. usually give rise to covalently-bonded molecular compounds, that are often gases at ambient conditions (e.g., COz, N2, N20). Recent research shows that these compounds polymerise or ionise to give new families of solid-state mineral-structured materials, when they are treated at high pressure (P>10 GPa) and high temperature. Preliminary reports indicate a quartz- or cristobalitestructured form of CO2 based on tetrahedral spa-bonded CO4 groups, and a calcitelaragonite form of NO N03 . We will explore formation of new solids at high P and T among compounds and mixtures of CO-C02-NO-N02-N20-N2-H20 materials, loaded into laser-heated diamond anvil cells, using a combination of laboratory spectroscopy and synchrotron X-ray diffraction. We will construct a laser-heating experiment at Daresbury SRS to carry out the diffraction studies, taking advantage of newly-available X-ray focusing optics currently being installed there. We will explore and establish recovery of the new high-pressure light element mineral solids , and investigate their materials properties, such as compressibility, hardness and optical properties. Two well-known light element materials synthesised at high-pressure/high-temperature and recovered to ambient conditions include the technologically-important super-hard solids diamond and cubic-BN. The research to discover and study new light element solids will open up a new area within solid state chemistry under extreme conditions , and it could lead to identification of technologically important materials.
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Key Findings |
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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Impacts |
Description |
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Summary |
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Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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Project URL: |
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Further Information: |
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Organisation Website: |
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