Structural chemistry, phase equilibria and phase transitions in graphite intercalation compounds

Abstract

This NATO Advanced Study Institute is the first time since 1978 that people working on different classes of “intercalation compounds” have been brought together. The unifying theme is the tailoring of properties by inserting guest atoms or molecules into more-or-less well-defined interstitial sites defined by a more-or-less anisotropic host lattice. The properties of interest may be primarily electronic (e.g., synthetic metals derived from doped polymers, intercalated graphite, etc.), ionic transport (solid electrolytes, superionic conductors), magnetic, etc. In all cases an important first step is to understand the rich and complex structural chemistry which results from competing microscopic interactions in low-dimensional, multicomponent systems. In particular, the most novel physical properties often depend sensitively on the effective dimensionality, a “parameter” which is not always straightforward to define.