Ricerc@Sapienza

High pressure (HP) techniques (0.1-100 GPa) are powerful methods to strongly modify the properties of condensed matter and produce unique materials with great impact on fundamental and applied sciences. Synthesis of new materials avoiding catalysts and any substances other than the reactants, has become a milestone in materials science. We want to use this approach in combination with the world of meso/micro-porous materials to create a HP laboratory at the subnano-scale by playing on densified simple molecular systems, such as water, methane, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and light within the small space enclosed in the nano cages and channels of porous materials such as zeolites. Pressure-tuning the pore size can give rise to clean synthesis procedures of novel technological useful nano-composites with possible further extension to large scale production. In addition, a deep understanding of matter under strong confinement and even reduced dimensionality will be obtained. Materials exhibiting up to an order of magnitude increase in technologically interesting properties (electrical conductivity, optical generation, etc.) are expected to be discovered. A team of experimental and computational experts in high pressure techniques, molecular systems and new functional materials will pursue the design and synthesis of thus new class of nano-composites through HP polymerization of simple organic molecules or by suitable doping in zeolites channels. Composites possessing tailored mechanical and thermal properties, and unique transport and non-linear optical properties will be obtained. Hydrothermal synthesis of zeolites, diamond anvil cells for the HP synthesis of composites, neutron and optical spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, electrical conductivity measurements, and computer simulations for designing synthesis strategies and interpreting experimental results will be used.