Functional Inorganic Materials: Exploratory Synthesis, Advanced Characterization and Computational Methods

Solid state chemistry plays a vital role in the discovery and optimization of new functional materials to help meet the societal demands for smaller, faster, cleaner, and more sustainable technologies. While exploratory synthesis has been the primary method to find novel materials, a better understanding of structural motifs and their impact on properties has led to guided synthesis. Furthermore, sophisticated computational tools and theoretical models are increasingly capable of predicting new materials with exceptional properties. The challenge then becomes finding synthetic routes to realize the promise of these materials. Once these materials are synthesized, state-of-the-art characterization must be performed to understand the observed properties and provide insight into optimization methods.

The Gordon Research Seminar on Solid State Chemistry is a unique forum for graduate students, post-docs, and other scientists with comparable levels of experience and education to present and exchange new data and cutting-edge ideas. The seminar encourages the sharing of unpublished work, in either poster or oral form, on all facets of material discovery from synthesis to computational screening of properties to optimization of promising materials for actual applications. This focus on sharing unpublished work will lead to stimulating discussion among participants and therefore new insights about the process of material discovery. A career panel with representatives from industry, national laboratories, and academia will take place during the second day of the meeting. This panel will be primarily comprised of early career scientists who can speak knowledgeably about the job search process as well as highlight multiple possible career paths.