WILLIAM T. PETUSKEY

Department of Chemistry
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ, USA.

E-mail: WPetuskey@asu.edu
Web: www.asu.edu/clas/chemistry/faculty/petuskey.htm

RESEARCH
The research conducted in my group concerns the synthesis and physical chemistry of materials. Much of this is oriented towards electronic ceramics, which may include the search for new compounds or new combinations of compounds, as well as, examining material properties and applications. As such, our work is best described as a bridge between solid state chemistry and materials science. My group is a mix of students pursuing advanced degrees in chemistry and in materials science and engineering.
One of our research areas concern the chemistry of solid-solid interfaces. The interface formed between dissimilar compounds such as a metal and insulator or two semiconductors yield interesting electrical and chemical characteristics as a whole that are distinctly different than those of either individual component. We have been examining the physics and chemistry of interfaces between solid chalcogenides that are mixed ionic-electronic conductors and insulators. The interfaces in some cases act as capacitors which preferentially absorb and desorb certain elements in the solid state. The ease in which electrons and ions diffuse through such composites is very sensitive to the chemical state of the interface, which when controlled can yield unusual electrical properties such as high dielectric constants, or exhibit a particular sensitivity to the environment (thus becoming a sensor).
Related to this, we are interested in synthesizing thin film ceramics by chemical vapor deposition. We study the nature of ferroelectric, dielectric and conductive compounds which as thin films may be incorporated into integrated circuit designs. We are also interested in the nature of bonding between metals and ceramics as it pertains to the metallization of electronic substrates. We are interested in compounds which are both transparent and conductive. Examples include the ferroelectric phases of lead zironium titaninates and lead germanates, conductive tin oxide compounds, and metal-silicon carbide and metal-aluminum nitride interfaces.
An exciting area of our research is the use of high pressures to synthesize new materials. As part of the materials research group on high pressure synthesis, we are searching for interesting new compounds which can be stabilized only through high pressure treatment (up to 25 GPa). Interesting opportunities are new sulfide and nitride compounds which may possess unusual dielectric properties or, conversely, may be highly conducting. We are exploring new semiconducting compounds in the Si-Ge-C system which are relevant to new electronic devices.

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