Mineral Physics and Extreme Materials

Our group discovers how materials behave at the atomic and molecular levels when subjected to extreme pressures and temperatures. This allows us to predict the composition of the interiors of the Earth, other planets in our Solar System, as well as planets in other solar systems.
Pressure and temperature control the structure of properties of both natural and man-made materials, and this offers the opportunity to discover, synthesize, and characterize new high-performance technological materials for many applications, including energy storage, so-called “super-hard” materials, abrasives, and semi-conductors.
Click to Read More HIGP has a wide range of facilities for both research and graduate and undergraduate education and training in the fields of Mineral Physics and Extreme Materials. With our research base in Earth and planetary science-focused mineral physics already very well established, the group is currently in the process of actively expanding the research agenda and building new collaborations in the areas of smart molecular materials, gas storage and sorption, and super-hard materials.