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Leopoldo Suescun
Materials Science Division
Appointment: 04/2005 - 04/2008
Supervisors: J.D. Jorgensen,
B. Dabrowski and R. Osborn
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General Information
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ANL Research Highlights
As a post-doc in the Neutron and X-ray Scattering Group ( Argonne 's MSD) and the Materials Design Laboratory, Physics Department, NIU, I have been involved in the synthesis, structural and magnetic characterization of oxygen-deficient perovskites with application as cathode materials for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) and oxygen separation membranes. The main goal of my research was to determine conditions and mechanism of oxygen vacancy ordering that degrade the electronic and ionic conductivity of these materials. Everyday activities included neutron powder diffraction data collection at Argonne 's Intense Pulsed Neutron Source ( SEPD and GPPD instruments) and analysis by the Rietveld method, tutoring of graduate students at NIU and study of topics in structure, materials preparation and characterization of perovskites.
The main achievement of my research is related to the discovery of a rational way of building oxygen-vacancy-ordering patterns found in manganites and HTSC-related cuprates that can now be understood as members of a new homologous series of oxygen-vacancy-ordered perovskites A 4+n B 4+n O 10+3n .
New Endeavors
As an Assistant Prof. at the School of Chemistry I'll be developing teaching and research activities in areas closely related to my work at Argonne and my previous work in Uruguay in close collaboration with Prof. A.W. Mombrú. I'll continue the study of oxygen-vacancy-ordered perovskites collaborating with Prof. B. Dabrowski and O. Chmaissem at NIU, using neutrons and synchrotron x-rays through collaborations at Oak Ridge 's SNS and the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS) and theory in collaboration with Prof. R. Faccio at Cryssmat-Lab. I'll also be developing a new line of synthesis and characterization of nano-scale perovskites in collaboration with Prof. H. Pardo, at the brand new Nanomaterials Laboratory (Nanomat) at the “Polo Tecnológico de Facultad de Química” in Pando, located 30 km north-east of Montevideo . Additionally I'll be joining the current research and service crystallography activities involving x-ray single-crystal and powder diffraction at the School of Chemistry , University of Uruguay .
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