Merging molten salt experiments with high pressure methods for synthesis of novel nanomaterials

This proposal aims at initiating a new synthesis method to deliver novel nanomaterials, by performing chemical reactions in molten salts as liquid reaction media at elevated pressures (2-6 GPa) and high temperatures (600-1100 C). We want to monitor reaction pathways as a function of pressure and temperature, by performing in situ X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) to identify reaction intermediates and products. We want to understand structural transformations during liquid-phase syntheses and identify promising compounds in order to design new electrocatalysts for H2 production from water. High pressures have never been coupled to molten salts for materials synthesis, despite the unique compounds accessible only at high pressures. We will focus on the Fe/Ni-Si-B system for which the state-of-the-art reports a rich high-pressure structural diversity. Addressing this new synthesis method will require extending the use of recently developed resistive heated diamond anvil cells (RH DAC).