Molybdenum Oxide Bronzes: Chemistry and Phase Transitions

The unusual structural arrangements in the alkali molybdenum oxide bronzes lead to a variety of interesting physical phenomena including superconductivity and charge density wave-(CDW-) driven phase transitions. In particular, study of K0.30MoO3, often referred to as "blue bronze", has yielded greater insights into the physics of sliding CDW's. This talk will focus on sliding CDW conductivity in K0.30MoO3. Remarkable phenomena associated with CDW motion in K0.30MoO3 including pulse duration memory effect and transient voltage response, will be described. The use of controlled incorporation of impurities to probe the CDW state will also be discussed.