"Rattling chains in the kagome metal ScV6Sn6"

This event is sponsored by FAMU-FSU Engineering Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

Abstract: The atomic structure of materials plays a critical role in determining their mechanical and functional properties. In some situations, the arrangement of the atoms can change during a structural phase transition, and we can leverage this behavior to obtain new material functionality. A well-known example is the martensitic transformation that strengthens ad hardens steel alloys. Our research focuses on a class of materials known as kagome metals, which feature a unique atomic arrangement of hexagons and triangles. My colleagues and I discovered that one such compound, ScV6Sn6, hosts a CDW. This observation was exciting because it posed a new mystery. Why is ScV6Sn6 the only member of its family that develops a CDW at low temperatures? To understand why, we substituted the scandium atoms with other rare earth elements and studied how these changes affected the CDW phase transition. Our findings revealed that the atomic size of the rare earth element plays a key role in CDW formation. Using this insight, we developed a predictive model to identify which similar kagome metals are likely to exhibit CDWs. Finally, I will highlight how this model has guided further discoveries in the kagome metals and the unique behaviors they display.

William Meier, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Materials Science and Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering

Speaker Bio: William Meier is a physicist and materials scientist with expertise in the synthesis and characterization of quantum materials. He received his BS in ceramic engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology (2013) and his PhD in condensed matter physics at Iowa State University (2018). He specializes in exploring the unique physical phenomena found in unconventional metals and unusual magnetic materials. His team grows single crystals to uncover novel and valuable properties. They then seek understanding the underlying physics behind these behaviors through chemical modifications, advanced physical characterization, and x-ray and neutron scattering techniques.