Exploratory Materials Synthesis & Characterization

The focus of our research is design, discovery, synthesis and characterization of new model materials for condensed matter physics. Particular emphasis is devoted to the discovery of new phenomena associated with correlated electron behavior and problems in superconductivity and magnetism. Since many observables are tensor quantities, significant effort is devoted to the synthesis of materials in single crystal form.

New materials are prepared by variety of growth methods: conventional arc melting and powder metallurgical techniques, solution methods, high temperature intermetallic, oxide or sulfide flux as well as chemical vapor transport and deposition. Automated physical and structural characterization is the essential component of the lab. In order to optimize synthesis parameters, it is necessary to characterize structural and physical properties of materials. Quite often the same methods are used to probe and perturb crystal structure, transport, thermodynamic and magnetic properties of new materials at extreme conditions of low temperatures, high magnetic fields and high pressures.

Main Goals:

• New materials development, controlled chemical substitutions and tuning of physical properties
• Collaborative work with BNL and external research groups at the Northeast and throughout the country.
• Development of new synthesis and measurement methods.

We now accept PhD student application. For application, please contact Cedomir Petrovic (petrovic@bnl.gov)