Nanochemistry at Applied Physics
Geoffry Ozin, a pioneer in the field of nanochemistry, described the field as “an emerging subdiscipline of solid-state chemistry that emphasizes the synthesis rather than the engineering aspects of preparing little pieces of matter with nanometer sizes in one, two or three dimensions. … The nanochemist can be considered to work towards this goal from the atom ‘up’, using methodologies generally named as bottom-up.
Nanochemistry deals with the controlled synthesis, assembly and characterization of nanoscale entities in order to optimize their performance for the intended application(s). Synthesis of free-standing nanostructures with various composition, morphology, surface charge/chemistry, colloidal stability, as well as engineering of interfaces to stabilize the nanostructures in different media (liquid or solid) are among the major challenges that are dealt with on a daily basis.
The presentation is aiming at introducing the Nanochemistry lab under APHYS, in terms of its activities as well as its small analytical instrument hub. Few examples from the on-going activities will be presented that are contributing to the field of bio-imaging and energy harvesting.