PHYS466: Physics at the Nanoscale

Carbon Nanotubes: Carbon allotropes; Synthesis and production techniques of carbon nanotubes. Physical properties of carbon nanotubes; Functionalisation, dispersion, separation, and characterisation of carbon nanotubes; Applications: Polymer- and metal- composites, X-ray tubes, Field emission displays (FED), transistors, sensors, etc.; Safety and risk Nanocrystals: Classification; Types of nanocrystals; Wide-band gap semiconductor nanocrystals. Modification of physical properties from bulk crystal to nanocrystal; Methods of preparation; Hybrid materials; Applications – sensors, photovoltaics, luminescent devices, electronics, lasers. Theory: Quasiparticles: electrons, holes, excitons; Basic theoretical methods: effective mass approximation, adiabatic approximation, tight-binding approach; Electron states in confined dimensions; weak confinement, strong confinement.