Fall 2020

Modern Topics in Physical Chemistry: Nanomaterials Science.

for PhD candidates and master students
The main goal of the course is to serve as an introductory to the modern aspects of nanotechnology science and on how inspiration by nature can be a key aspect towards advantageous novel nanoscience discoveries. Various classes of zero-, one-, and two-dimensional nanomaterials will be discussed as building blocks and assemblies towards the design, synthesis, and application of novel nano-structured materials. A special emphasis will be given on nanomaterials’ unique physicochemical features towards understanding the fundamentals on how the nano-size maters the most for a wide range of applications, predominately from catalysis and sensing to multifunctional smart materials and how a design of new materials suitable for targeted applications can be achieved. The presented and discussed physicochemical features will be based on different characterization methods, among others, diffraction techniques for the crystalization determination (X-ray diffraction, (XRD)), surface chemistry heterogeneity (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)), morphological and structural exploration (Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)), and spectroscopic approaches (Photoluminescence (PL), diffuse reflectance in ultraviolet and visible range of the electromagnetic spectra, Infra-red spectroscopy (IR, Raman), etc. Last but not least, the orientation of all the above will be focused on how the presented knowledge on nanomaterials science can be utilized as a useful tool on the every-day scientific interest of each participant. The course will be accessible for non-specialists in the field. The presentations and discussion will be initiated by hot and influential literature articles.