Materials & Manufacturing

Materials science relates the atomic structure to the properties of the material. Materials science also governs how materials form, and what structures to expect. Our focus is on nanostructured materials; e.g. nanowires, atomically thin films etc., for which surface and interface effects can dominate the material properties and decide how the material forms. The challenge is to detect and control these effects – preferably in real time!

Controlled fabrication of advanced nanostructures

The research in all areas within NanoLund requires access to designed nanostructures. Our key expertise is in solid-phase nanostructures fabricated from the vapour phase, especially metal nanoparticles, atomically thin oxide films, and semiconductor nanowires. We fabricate nanostructures using bottom-up and top-down approaches, or by a combination of both. To ensure high-quality nanomaterials, experiment is combined with theory and simulations to warrant a fundamental understanding of the material formation process.

Characterisation and properties

Knowing the chemical composition, atomic structure and physical properties is the basis to understand and make practical use of nanomaterials. We use a number of techniques to characterise nanostructures, e.g. electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction and spectroscopy often at synchrotron facilities like MAX IV, scanning probe techniques, and advanced optical and electrical characterization. We not only use these methods but also develop characterisation methods especially suited for nanomaterials.

New manufacturing processes and applications

There is a continuous strive within NanoLund to develop new nanofabrication processes – pushing the boundaries of lithographic patterning, integrating nanomaterials into industrial processes, along with creating new ways to realize unconventional heteromaterials. Examples of these efforts include the use of self-assembled block-copolymers as patterning masks, active nanomaterials integrated into industrial cutting tools, and heterogeneous metamaterials.