The study, published in Nature Communications, focuses on mesophases—temporary material structures that appear as molecules transform into solid materials. These intermediate stages are often overlooked because scientists typically concentrate on the final product. By capturing and studying them, researchers have identified a potential route to materials that are difficult or impossible to produce through traditional synthesis.

Hidden stages in material formation

Dr Sebastian Pike, from the University of Warwick’s Department of Chemistry, said: “When making materials by heating them, scientists usually focus on the end product, the ‘B’ that comes from the ‘A’.”

However, the study shows that many important stages occur between “A” and “B”. These hidden intermediate states may have useful properties of their own.

“We didn’t know exactly what we would find at this stage, but we were confident that we would find something interesting and unknown in the intermediate stages. We were excited to discover that even from our first experiments, some of these could potentially be put to practical use,” Dr Pike said.

The researchers began with a specially designed single-source precursor—a molecule containing all the elements needed to create the target material. They then monitored how the molecules changed as the temperature increased.

This approach revealed several previously unknown material phases. One was a new kinetically stable form of bismuth vanadate, β-BiVO₄.

A new form of bismuth vanadate

Bismuth vanadate, or BiVO₄, has attracted interest in clean energy research because it has a useful band gap—the amount of energy required for it to absorb sunlight and trigger a chemical reaction.

Its properties allow it to absorb sunlight while providing enough energy to split water and produce clean hydrogen fuel.

The newly identified β-BiVO₄ has a different atomic arrangement from known forms of the material. It also has a much larger band gap, changing the way it interacts with light.

These differences could give researchers new ways to tailor materials for solar fuel production, catalysts and electronic devices.

Could hidden materials improve future batteries?

The newly discovered mesophase may have applications beyond solar energy. Another hidden material identified during the experiments can store large amounts of lithium, raising the possibility that it could contribute to next-generation battery technology.

Dr Dominik Kubicki, from the University of Birmingham’s Department of Chemistry, said: “What’s interesting is that these ‘intermediate’ materials are not just stepping stones, but can have useful properties in their own right. By understanding and controlling how they form, we can begin to design better materials for batteries, catalysis and solar energy.”

How researchers observed the intermediate materials

To observe these normally hidden states, the researchers combined several advanced techniques, including solid-state NMR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and pair distribution function analysis.

The results showed that the precursor selected at the beginning of the process, as well as the way it decomposes, can strongly influence which material forms. By controlling these factors, researchers may be able to generate structures that are difficult to obtain through standard heating methods.

A new route to undiscovered materials

The findings suggest that transient steps in material formation could be a source of useful compounds that remain largely unexplored. Instead of treating intermediate structures solely as short-lived steps on the way to a final material, scientists may be able to intentionally create and stabilize them for practical applications.

Dr Pike said: “Although we studied only a small number of precursors here, this work shows a wider range of possibilities in materials science. Through careful control of temperature, precursor chemistry and reaction pathways, many more ‘hidden’ but highly useful materials may be discovered.”