Nanoscience

1          Introduction, main definitions and principles of nanoscience. Changing of the physical properties of materials on the nanoscale. The structure of materials in a bottom-up approach.

2          The effects of geometrical downscaling. The problems of top-down design. Macroscopic physical properties (mechanical, electrical, thermal, optical, etc.) and their microscopic approach.

3          The basics of solid state physics. Fundamental quantum mechanical phenomena, problems and their solutions.

4          Transport processes on the nanoscale. The Boltzmann transport equation. Diffusion on the nanoscale. Semiconductor and quantum dot based electronics.

5          One, two and three dimensional nanoobjects. The classification and main properties of nanostructures based on their material compositions (metals, semiconductors, oxides etc.)

6          Fabrication technologies of nanomaterials: vapor phase and solid phase methods.

7          Fabrication technologies of nanomaterials II: liquid phase methods, self-assembly. The possibilities of nanolithography.

8          The electrical and optical properties of metallic nanomaterials. Theoretical background of surface plasmon resonance. The application of SPR and localized surface plasmon resonance as sensors.

9          The allotropes of carbon (diamond, fullerenes, carbon nanotubes and graphene). Physical properties, fabrication technologies.

10      The application areas of carbon nanotubes and graphene. Electronics (passive and active), carbon based composites, graphene based electronics and displays. Carbon nanotubes in sensors.

11      Special molecular systems, biomolecules. The DNA as an organic nano building block. The structure of proteins. The cooperation between organic and inorganic nanosystems. The basics of biosensors.

12      Overview of the investigation methods of nanomaterials. The basics of microscopy, its limitations concerning the various methods. The basics of scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM, TEM).

13      Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Field microscopies (electrostatic, magnetic, near field, Kelvin etc.). Investigation of mechanical properties on the nanoscale.

14      Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS, XRF, XPS, AES, Raman, SERS, FT-IR). Possibilities and limitations on the nanoscale.