Glass Science

Steve Feller

In this research, REU students will participate in a condensed-matter physics effort that specializes in developing new glasses and studying their physical properties and atomic structure. We characterize density and thermal properties and use spectroscopy to find atomic-level structures. We have the ability to cool glass forming melts at exceedingly fast rates (over 100,000 K/sec.) using two rapidly spinning twin-roller quenchers. Also, we are able to use laser levitation to form glasses at very high temperatures, approaching 2700ºC.  With the roller-quenchers and laser levitation system, along with several kinds of furnaces to choose from, and a dry nitrogen glove box, you will make many glasses of unusual compositions. Examples of the types of projects available to students include: development of new lithium hydroxide-lithium halide glasses (with Oxford University) alkali and alkaline- earth vanadate and tellurite, germanate, borosilicate, heavy metal oxide glasses, borovanadate and silicovanadate glasses; determination of thermal properties in a host of oxide glass systems such as borates, silicates, phosphates and germanates; high precision measurements of density/molar volume using a variety of techniques; modeling packing efficiencies of atoms in glasses; and experimental and theoretical spectroscopic (neutron scattering, X-Ray, FTIR, Raman, electron paramagnetic and nuclear magnetic resonance), investigations of the atomic structure of glasses. This research will make use of Coe’s state- of-the-art and brand-new research grade impedance spectrometer and thermal suite. In collaboration with several groups around the United States (New York, Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska) and world (UK, Brazil, China, Canada, and Greece) we do these measurements.  Furthermore, we do numerical modeling of atomic structure-physical property relationships in these glasses using topological constraint theory. Finally, it's a lot of fun as we travel the world in pursuit of this research. Do you have a passport?

Bio and Interests

For the past forty-five years I have been very actively involved at Coe College in publishable research with students. This research is on oxide glasses and is both basic and applied. In particular, our work focuses on the relationship between structure at the atomic level and resulting physical properties. Also, we have discovered new families of glasses by rapidly cooling liquids, through novel chemical methods (examples include invert borates and silicates, and new tellurites and vanadates), and by other means. At Coe and at collaborating labs, we fabricate glasses, perform property measurements and we do spectroscopic investigations. I enjoy the resulting interaction with many different people and I enjoy the discoveries we have shared. In this time, I have worked with over 250 students and we have written over 175 journal papers and several book chapters. Also, we have attended and given well over 300 talks at national and international scientific meetings, including several with REU students. Our work has been supported by a wide variety of groups including the National Science Foundation (nearly 40 years) , the Research Corporation, The McElroy Foundation of Iowa, The Maytag Foundation of Iowa, The States of Iowa and Texas, The British Government, the US-UK Fulbright Commission, The Society of Physics Students, The Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, the Council on Undergraduate Research, The Greek Government, Motorola Corporation, Corning, Inc., former students, colleagues, and Coe College. I look forward to more years of doing science with many more students. Phone: 319-721- 5590; Email: sfeller@coe.edu