Condensed Matter Seminars

Research interest in the field of nanodimensional materials is growing rapidly due to their interesting size-dependent electronic, magnetic, optical and mechanical properties that have many potential industrial applications. Metals and semiconductors with dimensions in the nanometer realm exhibit novel optical, electrical, and chemical properties which are closely associated with their structural characteristics. In addition, metastable phases and size-dependent phase transitions are observed when the particle sizes are reduced to nanodimensions. Several examples from our previous work will be presented to illustrate the existence of these unusual structural characteristics. X-ray diffraction is a non-destructive characterization tool that plays an important role in the synthesis and in understanding the physical properties of the nanoparticles.