Tailored nanoparticle arrays produced by the micellar technique for the study of proximity effect in hybrid systems of metallic, superconducting, magnetic and organic constituents (R-1443)

Pushed by technological needs and fundamental scientific curiosity, nanoscience has evolved into one of the most active research fields worldwide. Completely new bottom-up approaches are needed and being developed wich ideally should allow the in-situ deposition of ensembles of contamination-free nanostructures of any kind of material with adjustable particle size, inter-particule spacing, and free choice of substrate material. In this project we will investigate the production, the structural properties , and the physical phenomena of self-assembled monodisperse nanoparticle (NP) arrays in contract with a thin layer of different functionality. In many cases, the presence of an interface between twe dissimilar materials gives rise to significantly mofified or even entirely new proporties. The physical properties that will be confronted are magnetism, superconductivity and electrical conductivity, and properties resulting from organic self-assembly. For the production of the suitable quasi-periodic NP arrays, the micellar technique will be used and optimised. Compared to other techniques, this method provides the crucial control of homogeneous particle shapes, sizes and spacings over macroscopically large surface areas. The main research questions of the project are: 1) How can the micellar technique be applied and optimized towards tailored NP arrays and as a new route for the production of NPs of superconducting materials? 2) How do the superconditioning properties depend on NP size and how is the superconducting proximity effect affected when the size of the superconducting or normal constituents shrinks to the nanometer scale? 3) What is the correlation between superconductivity and magnetism in hybrid NP/thin film systems where a well-controlled 2D magnetic modulation is created at the nanometer scale on/in a superconducting layer? 4) How does a chemisorbed organic ligand shell affect the electronic and magnetic properties of metallic nanoparticles and what is the underlying microscopic mechanism?

Keywords:THIN FILMS

Disciplines:Physical sciences