NANOCLUSTER · Monodispersed inorganic nanoclusters as building blocks for functional materials

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Project objective

The Nanocluster Research Training Network groups physics and chemistry research teams that aim at the development of methodologies for the production, investigation, and application of monodispersed nanocluster systems. Clusters, i.e. entities of a few up to several ten thousands of atoms, are produced in a bottom-up approach from gas phase atoms with methods involving different physical processes such as laser ablation, thermal evaporation, magnetron sputtering, gas aggregation, and/or aerosol synthesis. The clusters are collected on solid substrates, either by direct growth on the surface out of the directly deposited atomized species, or by beam deposition of clusters that are preformed in the gas phase. The latter approach allows the clusters to be selected in size before deposition using time-of-flight or differential electrical mobility techniques, while for the former techniques laser tailoring can be used for size selection. A total of six distinct and complementary methods for cluster synthesis will be comparatively investigated, by using these approaches for growing similar samples of monodispersed clusters on the same substrate material. Then, each of the obtained samples will be fully characterized by state-of-the-art structural, chemical and optical techniques available within the partner laboratories. This unique combination will allow to trace back methodology dependent properties of monodispersed nanocluster systems and to disentangle issues related to the synthesis techniques from system specific properties. Several applications of monodispersed nanocluster systems may be anticipated. Within this collaborative effort we will explore two specific cluster size dependent applications. First, the possibilities of size dependent self-assembly of molecular monolayers on cluster surfaces will be examined. Second, field enhancement of Raman signals of adsorbed biomolecules using monodispersed embedded nanocluster systems will b

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

• KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN · LEUVENCoordinatorBelgium
• CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS · MADRIDSpain
• HELSINKI UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY · ESPOOFinland
• UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM · BIRMINGHAMUnited Kingdom
• UNIVERSITY OF KASSEL · KASSELGermany
• Universitair Centrum Antwerpen - Universiteit Antwerpen · AntwerpenBelgium

Links

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