A systematic exploration Method for the Development of metastable Metal Halides by Thermal Detection

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Hans-Jürgen Meyer
• Subject Area: Solid State and Surface Chemistry, Material Synthesis
• Term: from 2014 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 262325214

This project deals with the development and practical application of a new method that allows the detection of an entire series of metal-halide compounds of a given system within one measurement. Following a general procedure, a halide-rich metal halide (e.g. WCl6) reacts successively with a reduction agent (e.g. metal powder) under progressive heating. Due to the presence of a sufficient amount of metal powder and the formation of a corresponding metal halide, the reaction products (e.g. in the M-W-Cl system) are successively formed under condition of a concentration gradient with increasing amount of metal and decreasing amount of halide. Corresponding reaction steps are monitored as thermal (DTA or DSC) effects and products are characterized by XRD. The application of this method to halide systems allows an assignment of formation reactions, the detection of formation heats, and characterizations of compounds of which the majority can be considered as metastable. Property studies (e.g. magnetic, electrical, or optical) will be performed for selected compounds.Results of these studies are expected to answer the question whether an optimized method like this is capable for investigations of other series of metastable solid state compounds.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants