Synthesis of practical high temperature superconductors in hydrogen-rich materials

California State University Northridge (CSUN) will support and supply scientific research support for a LDRD project at Sandia National Laboratory (SNL) focused on the synthesis and characterization of lanthanide based superhydrides (LnHx, x > 3). The research at CSUN will focus on the preparation and synthesis of La0, Y0, Yb0, LaHx, YHx, and YbHx species that can serve as precursors for the preparation of nanoparticles. The methodologies developed may be adaptable to the entire lanthanide series. The analytical equipment at CSUN can characterize materials, chemicals, and samples at the nano-, meso-, and macroscale. It is expected that the production of Ln0 and LnHx nanoparticles will change the thermodynamics of lanthanide superhydride formation and reduce the plateau pressure to form superconducting phases. CSUN will also evaluate synthetic approaches to determine if the Ln0 or LnHx nanoparticles can be incorporated into a suitable host to form composite materials.