Novel Materials Laboratory

Department of Physics

Department of Chemistry

Division of Materials Science and Engineering

Research Projects

The goal of our research program is to understand experimentally how electronic structure determines the optical, electrical, magnetic, structural, and chemical properties of new and unusual materials.  A powerful array of electron and photon spectroscopic probes is used to measure electronic structure. Some of these probes are well established, while the development of others is an exciting and important component of our research efforts.  This is an ambitious interdisciplinary program that combines elements of physics, chemistry, and materials science, and addresses issues of fundamental scientific and technical importance.

 

Currently, six distinct classes of materials are under investigation:

· Low-dimensional and correlated solids,

· Organic semiconductors and metals,

· Nitride semiconductors,

· Transparent conducting oxides,

· Rare-earth nitrides, and

· Solid oxide fuel cell cathodes 

 

The spectroscopies used in our studies are

· X-Ray Emission,

· Resonant Inelastic X-Ray Scattering,

· X-ray Absorption,

· X-Ray Photoemission, and

· Angle-Resolved Photoemission. 

 

Our experiments are performed at Boston University, and at many synchrotron radiation light sources around the world.  We presently run experiments at

· the National Synchrotron Light Source, Brookhaven National Laboratory

· the Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 

· the MAX-lab synchrotron in Lund, Sweden.