Mechanochemistry of non-equilibrium oxide and fluoride phases: mechanosynthesis, solid state kinetics and spectroscopic properties (DFG SPP 1415)

The project deals with the mechanochemical synthesis and microstructural, i.e. atomic scale, characterisation of new non-equilibrium complex oxides and fluorides of various crystallographic structures (perovskites, garnets, olivines, fluorites and spinels) at ambient temperatures. In many cases, the so prepared materials are characterized by a non-equilibrium cation distribution, a canted spin arrangement, and/or a deformed polyhedron geometry. Such materials cannot or can only with extraordinary effort be prepared by conventional solid state syntheses which then are performed at very high temperatures.