Researchers have uncovered previously unknown materials by closely following what happens as molecular precursors break apart and transform during heating. Among the discoveries is a new form of a well-studied clean energy material. The research, published in Nature Communications, focuses on intermediate phases that appear while molecules are being converted into solid materials.
These temporary stages are often overlooked because scientists typically concentrate on the final product. By capturing and studying them, the researchers found a possible route to materials that are difficult or impossible to obtain through conventional synthesis. Sebastian Pike, Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, said: "When materials are made by heating, scientists usually focus on the final product, the 'B' that results from 'A.' But this study shows that there are many fascinating stages in between 'A' and 'B,' and these hidden steps, could be just as important.
"We didn't know exactly what we would find going in, but we were confident there would be something interesting and unknown in the intermediate phases. We were thrilled to discover that some of these could have practical uses, even from the very first experiments." The researchers began with specially designed 'single-source precursors', molecules containing all the elements needed to create a material. They then monitored how those molecules changed as temperatures increased.
This approach exposed several previously unknown material phases. One was a new, kinetically stabilized form of bismuth vanadate (BiVO4), which the researchers named β-BiVO4. BiVO4 has attracted attention in clean energy research because of its useful "band gap" (the energy it needs to absorb sunlight and drive chemical reactions).
Its properties allow it to absorb sunlight effectively while still supplying enough energy to split water and generate clean hydrogen fuel. The newly identified β-BiVO4 has an atomic arrangement that differs from known forms of the material. It also has a significantly larger band gap, which changes the way it interacts with light.
Those differences could give researchers new ways to adjust materials for use in solar fuel production, catalysis, and electronics. The newly discovered intermediate phases may also have uses beyond solar energy. Another hidden material identified during the experiments was able to store large amounts of lithium, raising the possibility that it could contribute to next-generation battery technologies.
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