A preparative solid state chemistry laboratory is set up, where various synthetic techniques including sol-gel and redox precipitation processes, in addition to conventional solid-state high-temperature methods, are been implemented.

The materials straddle to a portfolio of transition metal oxides, mixed-metal chalcogenides, and all the way to hybrid perovksites.

In addition, intermetallic compounds can be grown with an arc-melting furnace (>2000 oC) equipped with a water-cooled copper hearth. The system is easily purged (vacuum & Ar-gas) allowing specimens of metal ingots to be rapidly formed with good purity.

Basic Tools/ Methods:

• Glove-boxes for Manipulation of Air- and Moisture- Sensitive Compounds.
• High Vacuum (P<10-4 mbar) or Noble Gas Flow Schlenk-type Lines, for Low-to-Medium Temperature Solid-State (<1100 oC) Chemistry Syntheses.
• High-Temperature Programmable Electric Furnaces (<1600 oC) for Solid-State Reactions (under gas flow or vacuum).
• Chemical Vapor Transport Reactions (<1000 oC).
• Intercalation Reactions ("Soft Syntheses" at 40-80 oC).
• Solvo-/ Hydro- thermal Reactions (Teflon-lined Autoclaves: 23 mL, 250 oC, 1800 psi).
• Thermal Evaporator (Thick Film Growth: ~100 μm ).
• Specac Manual Hydraulic Press (max capacity 15 ton; pellets Ø3 - 10 mm)

Where necessary samples are flame-sealed in evacuated glass or silica ampules and annealed at the required temperatures.