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The following outlines some current research themes that would lead to successful PhD Projects.
1. Glass Nanostructure
The incorporation of rare-earth ions into oxide or chalcogenide glasses confers the resultant materials with many interesting opto-electronic and magneto-optical properties which give them application as, for example, lasers and Faraday rotators. It is therefore desirable to understand the interactions between the rare-earth ions, and their mediation by the matrix material, in order to develop realistic microscopic models. Hence progress is dependent on the provision of unambiguous information on a nanometre scale about both the relative distribution of rare-earth ions and the structure of the glassy matrix in which they are incorporated.
The aim of this project is to understand the nanostructure and dynamics of several glasses of both fundamental scientific and technological importance by using a joint experimental and theoretical approach. Specifically, neutron and x-ray scattering experiments, made using in-house apparatus together with central facilities in the UK, France and USA, will be used to measure the glass structure and dynamics and the results will be interpreted using molecular dynamics (including Car-Parrinello) and Monte Carlo computer simulations. The project will build on the expertise of the liquids and amorphous materials group in Bath and its extensive network of international collaborations. The work benefits from substantial EPSRC support.
2. The "Big Squeeze"
Extremes of temperature and pressure are found in diverse environments, such as the deep sea and planetary interiors, and can have a profound have effect on the structure and properties of solids and liquids. For example, the application of pressure can convert semiconductors into metals and lead to marked changes in the melting point.
The aim of this project is to use x-ray and neutron scattering methods to investigate the properties of network forming materials at high pressures and temperatures to observe the nature of the network collapse. The experiments will be made using state-of-the-art instrumentation at central facilities such as the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble (see http://www.esrf.fr/). The results will be interpreted using the latest data visualisation methods in conjunction with theoretical input from colleagues in France and Italy.
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