Some projects are described below. In a suitable host, ions of Er, Ho, or Tm may fluoresce in the visible region by a multiphoton process excited by inexpensive diode lasers. Some of these silicates have a much larger absorptivity in the far-IR region than corresponding crystalline materials and may be better models for interstellar dust. Understanding the cause of their opacity is a goal. Other work addresses the long-standing question of why metals adhere to ceramics.
Some syntheses use thermite reactions and others use sol-gel processes.