Krakow Interdisciplinary PhD-Project in Nanoscience and Advanced Nanostructures



The Polish side of the consortium is formed by Faculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science (AGH) and by Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry of Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) both of Krakow. These two institutes cooperate since 1996, when the Joint Laboratory of Surfaces and Nanostructures was established. The successful scientific cooperation was accompanied by exchange of PhD students. Recently both partners decided to intensify the common PhD programme by instituting common "Krakow Interdisciplinary PhD Studies in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology". This area of research and development, as hardly any other, needs complementarity of methodology, know-how and resources. The combination of intellectual potential of chemists and physicists specialized at both institutions in nanoscience guarantees the best opportunity of efficient and fruitful teaching and research at the post graduate level. This allows us to propose to our students a wide selection of topics, discussing various types of nanostructures: semiconductor (1-4), magnetic (6,7), biological (8,9), molecular (polymer, colloidal) (10-11) with application prospects for nanomaterials, nanotechnology, quantum information processing, quantum chemistry, optoelectronics, biotechnology and bioengeneering. The important feature of all the systems studied in the proposed topis is their nanometer scale. The nanostrucures are investigated by both experiment and theory, from the point of view of fundamental research and applications, in context of nanodevices as well as nanomaterials.
16 foreign researchers from 10 (european) countries agreed to cooperate on the proposed projects.

We propose the following projects:
1.Design and computer simulations of the nanodevices to applications in quantum computing.
2.Computer simulations of quantum transport in semiconductor nanodevices.
3.Electronic structure of artificial atoms and molecules: spin-orbit coupling effects.
4.Hybrid organic-inorganic layered materials - precursors of semiconducting nanostructures.
5.Structure and properties of networks of nanoscopic magnetic wires.
6.Current induced magnetization switching (CIMS) and noise characterization of MgO based magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs).
7.Surface and interface properties of metal-oxide magnetic nanostructures.
8. Computer modeling of biological nanostructures.
9.Dynamics of nanostructural organization and activity of photosynthetic systems in natural and model membranes.
10. Nanostructures and stability of thin liquid layers.
11. Surfactants, polyelectrolytes and nanoparticles as building blocks for surface nanostructures.
12.Physical properties of multilayer thin films of Mg-Ti-V/Ni and their hydrides.

Project are both theoretical (1-3,5,8) and experimental (4,6,7,9,10,11,12).
Topics (1-3) deal with systems of electrons and (or) holes in semiconductor nanostructures and nanodevices. In (1,2) the single-electron time-resolved transport properties of nanodevices will be studied with a particular stress on the spin degree of freedom. Operation on the electron spin: set-up, read-out and rotation by an arbitrary angle will be investigated. The interest of this study is in the spintronic applications for construction of basic elements of a quantum computer. In topic (3) systems of a few interacting carriers will be studied with a special stress put on the spin interactions that occur in semiconductors (spin-orbit coupling). The results for excitons should be useful for optoelectronic applications. Semiconductor nanostructures are also addressed by topic (4) in which the properties of new hybrid layered compounds in which semiconducting monolayers Me(II)-X(VI) [Me=Zn,Cd,Cu; X=S,Se,Te] are separated by layers of diamines. Such compounds are interesting materials for microelectronic and optoelectronic applications. The aim of the project (5) is to get information on non-equilibrium magnetic properties of systems of monodomain particles with different structures, from periodic nanoscopic arrays to disordered networks. Magnetic nanostructures with application to spintronics are also the topic of two experimental projects (6,7). The aim of project (6) is the optimization of the current density for magnetization switching in nanopillars (magnetic random acces memory cells) and noise characterization of the pillars junctions. In project (7) the 3d metal systems confined on oxide surfaces will be studied. By comparing different 3d metals, different substrates and different preparation methods we aim at understanding the interplay between the organization, the size, the shape of the nanostructures and their electronic and magnetic properties. Biological nanostructurs are investigated in projects (8,9). Two other projects (10,11) deal with molecular nanostructures. In project (10) influence of motion induced dynamic architecture of the adsorption layers of surfactants and bio-surfactants on stability of the symmetric (foam) and non-symmetric (wetting) liquid films will be studied, and in project (11) various types of ionic surfactants with combination of synthetic and natural polyelectrolytes and/or nanoparticles (metallic, organic, proteins) as materials for formation of nanostructures will be investigated. The subject of project (12) is the preparation and investigations of the thin films of Mg-Ti-V/Ni system with gradually changing composition (produced by co-sputtering technique) and MBE method and with continuous change of hydrogen content. The role in the improvement of the rate of hydrogen absorption as well as the chemical and crystal structure stability will be studied.

agh-pan logo
Valid XHTML 1.0 Strict Valid CSS! stat4u