Award Date
December 2023
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Physics and Astronomy
First Committee Member
Ashkan Salamat
Second Committee Member
Dean Smith
Third Committee Member
David Shelton
Fourth Committee Member
Eunja Kim
Number of Pages
93
Abstract
The theoretical predictions and results from the (La,Y)Hx ternary hydride solution provided evidence toward phase stability at comparatively lower pressures, as consequence the (Yb,Lu)Hx and (Tm,Lu)Hx ternary hydrides are studied here with pressures up to 25 GPa in the diamond anvil cell. The onset of an unknown feature in the XRD pattern coincides with crystallographic plane distortions in the tetragonal lattice of ytterbium hydride at their laser-heated interface, possibly driven by a solid solution of Lu-Yb. Findings in collected Raman spectra and X-ray diffraction patterns in an Ar environment suggest potential stability of the FCC and high-temperature HCP phases of Yb in the Yb-Lu solid solution as well. However, experimental results also reveal that, within the explored pressure range, no new structures or evidence of phase stability is observed for the Tm-Lu combination in either Ar or H2 atmospheres. The findings in this thesis contribute to understanding the complex behavior of similar ternary hydride solid solutions.
Disciplines
Condensed Matter Physics | Optics | Physics
Degree Grantor
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Language
English
Repository Citation
Van Cleave, Joshua R., "On the Synthesis of Heavy Rare Earth Solid Solutions and Their Hydrides" (2023). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 4919.
https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations/4919
Rights
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