Student Internships/REU at Other Locations
Chase Ledbetter will be working on "X-ray scintillators based on low dimensional perovskites" project at Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL this summer.
"Developing technologies for the detection of X-ray radiation is an important area of research for their wide applications in security and heath areas. Current technologies for X-ray detection rely on scintillation from expensive inorganic crystals prepared at high-temperature. Recently, solution processed metal halide perovskite single crystals have been used to construct scintillators for X-ray, thanks to their efficient X-ray absorption and excellent optical properties. However, the photoluminescence quantum efficiency (PLQE) of bulk perovskite single crystals is low, due to defects, self- absorption and quenching, and many other nonradiative decay channels. The Ma group has pioneered research in molecular level low dimensional organometal halide perovskites, which can be prepared in large single crystals by low cost wet-chemistry approaches to exhibit superior luminescent properties with PLQEs of up to 100%. This new class of organic-inorganic hybrid materials with exceptional structural and property tenability have potential applications in luminescence based optical sensors, including X-ray scintillators. The REU students will be working with graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the Ma group to develop and study new low dimensional perovskite materials for X-ray detection. The students will synthesize 2-3 zero-dimensional organometal halide perovskites (4 weeks), characterize their structural and optical properties, using single crystal crystallography and optical spectroscopies (3 weeks), test their X-ray detection capability (2 weeks), write a report and prepare oral and poster presentations (1 week)".
Alisabeth Bradford spends her summer at Auburn University.
"This summer I worked in Dr. Goldsmith's chemistry lab at Auburn University. My mentor was David Roberson and we worked on the synthesis of a compound called NiH4qtp2. We analyzed it's characteristics through instruments such as NMR and mass spectroscopy. During the summer, Dr. Goldsmith's lab was heavily involved in interdisciplinary research. For example, I was able to go over to the university's veterinary school to perform assays on some of the compounds like the one I synthesized".
Jaonne Seow spends her summer at Auburn University
"I spent this summer with Dr Easley and his students in Auburn University during this past summer. I was mainly working in the 3D printers lab and had spent considerable amount of time trying to optimize 3D printers and printing mold for microfluidics chips. The main objective is to create a mold with clear resin and cure it so the PDMS solution are able to be molded for microfluidics chips. I have tried to create some chips, however, there were no complete success in them. The experiment is still on-going".