Symposium G

Programme

A modern trend in the synthesis of nanomaterials is to control dispersability, flowability, sinterability, surface reactivity, optical, electrical, ferroelectrics, thermal, mechanical or any other property by means of particles functionalisation. This symposium will be focused on different methods for obtaining functional nanoparticles by chemical, physical, mechanical or combined methods used to deposit materials layers such as organics, polymers, ceramics or metals onto the core particle for various applications. Special attention will be paid to "in-situ" functionalisation of nanoparticles used in nano-bio-technologies of tomorrow. Thermodynamic and kinetic modelling of synthesis will be addressed in order to obtain functional nanoparticles with reproducible surface properties. Especial emphasis will be devoted to the methods used for analyzing the surface characteristics and interactions taking place at the interfaces between nanoparticles and functional layers. This symposium aims also to discuss recent and relevant results regarding the correlations between the three features: synthesis/nanostructure/properties of different systems obtained from functional nanoparticles. Studies on grain size dependent phenomena are a way to relate nanostructured to microstructured materials. Especial attention will be paid on smart multifunctional nanomaterials based on functionalised nanoparticles for chemical and biological applications (biomaterials, tracers and sensors used for rapid detection and diagnosis in medicine or defence against terrorism).

It is an opportunity to discuss possible future joint projects. It will be also an excellent occasion to present and debate the progress in the theory and applications of functionalised nanoparticles in a wide range of devices, bringing together chemists, physicists, material scientists, biophysicists or biochemists working in the following multidisciplinary topics:

Scope and Topics:

1. Synthesis of ceramic nanoparticles
2. Synthesis of core/shell structured nanoparticles, nanotubes and nanowhiskers
3. Colloidal sciences in functionalisation of nanoparticles
4. Electronic and atomic structure of aggregates and nanoparticles (point defects, surfaces?)
5. Thermodynamic properties of nanoparticles. Physical and chemical interactions on nanoparticles surfaces
6. Characterisation methods of functionalised nanoparticles (X-ray and neutron diffraction, XPS, HREM, TEM, SEM, RAMAN, FT-IR, chemical and physical methods for surface characterisation)
7. Theory and modelling of nanoparticles functionalisation processes
8. Industrial preparation of nanomaterials : sintering, tape casting, injection moulding, innovative processing methods
9. Properties and applications of functionalised particles and nanostructured materials dependent on surface or interface chemistry and grain size:
   • Catalytic, photocatalytic properties,
   • Electronic properties (photoluminescence, cathodoluminescence?)
   • Optical and photonic properties,
   • Atomic and Thermal transport properties,
   • Tribological and Mechanical properties,
   • Electrical, magnetic and ferroelectric properties,
   • Interactions of nanoparticles with biologic entities

Scientific Committee:

• Rainer Birringer (Saarbruken, Germany)
• Carmen Galassi (Faenza, Italy)
• Marija Kosec (Ljubljana, Slovenia)
• Roxana Mioara Piticescu (Bucharest, Romania)
• Rainer Waser (Aachen, Germany)
• Marie-Isabelle Baraton (Limoges, France)

Tentative list of invited speakers:

• Aharon Gedanken (Bar-Ilan, Israel)
• Ulrich S. Schubert (Eindhoven, Netherlands)
• Marie-Isabelle Baraton (Limoges, France)
• Ulrich Kynast (Uhlm, Germany)
• Jacques Livage (Paris, France)
• Omer Van Der Biest (Leuven, Belgium)
• Charlotte Gabrielle Chitanu (Iassy, Romania)
• Roger Whatmore (Cranfield, UK)
• Alain Thorel (Paris, France)
• Mullens Steven (Mol, Belgium)
• Gianguido Baldinozzi (Chatenay Malabry-Paris, France)
• Paula Vilarinho (Aveiro, Portugal)
• Larissa Grigorjeva (Riga, Latvia)

Organisers

Symposium is organised by:

• Radu Robert Piticescu, Institute for Non-ferrous and Rare Metals, Bucharest, Romania
• Witold Lojkowski, High Pressure Research Center of the Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw
• Claude Monty, CNRS-Institut de Sceince et de Genie des Materiaux et Procedes, France

Proceedings

The Proceedings of the Symposium will be published in Journal of Metastable and Nanocrystalline Materials.

Contact

Website address is http://www.e-mrs.org/meetings/fall2004/sympG.

Contact e-mail address: rpiticescu@imnr.ro.