Solid State Chemistry
FEG SEM image of the whiskery nanostructure of the iron oxyhydroxide schwertmannite.
Hydrothermally-prepared LaOHCO3 film – a novel nonlinear optical material.
A thin nanomaterials film coated over a nano-porous zirconia structure. Structures such as these have potential applications in catalysis, separations, fuel cells and microelectronics.
The solid state chemistry program encompasses areas of research within the NRI that are concerned with the relationship between properties and the nanoscale structure of solids. Structural characterisation is a major component of the activities in this program area, as many of the materials being studied are poorly crystalline or nanoparticulate in nature and thus present specific challenges when it comes to understanding their structures.
Current Activities
There are three loosely-grouped areas of NRI research in the solid state chemistry field. Selected examples of projects in each area are given below.
1. Iron oxides/ geopolymers
- Geopolymer concrete from regional waste streams
Kate Wright, Daniel Southam - Iron and silica co-precipitation from industrial zinc solutions
Bill Richmond - Ferrihydrite: Fundamentals of a natural nanomaterial
Bill Richmond, Nicole Gorham
2. Ceramics and materials for opto-electronic applications
- Technologies for processing and handling large volumes of nanoparticles, their structures and devices
Balu Nair - Lowering the barriers to a hydrogen technology : what slows proton conductors?
Julian Gale
Funding
- ARC Discovery Grant : “Ferrihydrite: Fundamentals of Natural Nanomaterial” 2004-2006
- ARC Discovery Grant : “Lowering the barriers to a hydrogen technology : what slows proton conductors ?”
- Parker CRC for Integrated Hydrometallurgy Solutions
- CRC for Sustainable Resource Processing
