[institut] Photonics Center seminar - Prof. Dr. Michael Pravica, 25 May 2018 at 12:00

[Marko Nikolic]

Dear colleagues,

You are cordially invited to the Photonics Center seminar, which will be 
held on Friday, 25 May 2018 at 12:00 in the library reading room “Dr. 
Dragan Popović" of the Institute of Physics Belgrade.
The talk entitled:
                                          Harnessing hard x-rays to drive 
novel science

will be given by Prof. Dr. Michael Pravica  (Professor of Physics, 
Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Nevada, Las Vegas).

Abstract of the talk:

Though x-ray related damage has been considered a nuisance since x-rays 
were first discovered, we use them to initiate decomposition and 
synthetic reaction chemistry at extreme (high pressure, variable 
temperature) or isolated conditions by harnessing their highly ionizing, 
highly penetrating, and highly focused properties.  This talk will focus 
on three areas where we have made progress in developing useful hard 
x-ray photochemistry:

1. Possible formation of HgF4 by irradiation of a mixture of XeF2 and 
HgF2 at high pressure to produce molecular fluorine in situ in a diamond 
anvil cell via XeF2 + hυ → Xe + F2 and then reacting the mobile F2 to 
form HgF4 via HgF2 + F2→ HgF4 at pressures in the 25 GPa up to 40 GPa 
pressure range.  This appears to confirm predictions of “inner shell 
chemistry” at extreme conditions made by Miao.

2. By irradiation of strontium oxalate, we have produced a novel 
compound: stable doped polymeric-CO that traps CO2 at ambient conditions 
for over one year via:
SrC2O4 + hυ → SrCO3 + CO
n(CO) → poly-CO
We plan on synthesizing a family of doped polymers using this method 
(patent granted).

3. By irradiating lightly pressurized Cs2(C2O4) ∙ H2O, we have created a 
novel structure of cesium superoxide (CsO2).
These methods may offer hope to synthesize novel compounds with novel 
structures (and thus with potentially useful and targeted properties).

Best regards,
Marko Nikolic

-- 
Marko G. Nikolic PhD
Research Associate
Photonics Center
Institute of Physics Belgrade
Pregrevica 118, 11080 Belgrade, Serbia
http://www.ipb.ac.rs/
Phone: +381641446152