NKEA07005U Unifying Concepts in Nanoscience (UCN)

Volume 2013/2014
Education
MSc Programme in Chemistry
MSc Programme in Nanoscience
Content

Nanosized systems have special properties. The objective of the course is to learn about the unifying concepts that form the scientific basis of these special properties and the methods used and developped to study them. The physical and chemical basis for the special properties of nanoscale systems will be developed systematically using the simple models and theory. Examples are from currect nanoscience and nanotechnology.

Learning Outcome
After completing the course, the student should be able to:

Knowledge:
- Concepts of absorption, spontaneous emission and stimulated emission.
- Concepts of vibrational spectroscopy techniques, IR, Raman, Resonant Raman, Stimulated Raman, SERS and surface plasmons, CARS
- Particle in a box model
- Concepts on electron tunneling, transport and transfer including Coulomb blockade
- Concepts of high resolution microscopy
- Concepts of Single molecule fluorescence spectroscopy and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy.
- Concepts of energy transfer (FRET, Dexter), aggretate properties (J and H), eximer and exiplex interactions and superquenching
- Concepts on molecular electronics, OLED and OFET, thin film devices.
- Concepts on biological and artificial membranes
- Concepts on nanowire based bioFETs
- Knowledge about the properties of nanomaterials like graphene, carbon nanotubes, nanowires, quantum dots, small metal clusters and nanoparticles.
- Concepts on the different properties of bulk material versus nanoparticles.
 

Skills:
- Apply the above mentioned knowledge for understanding and calculating nanoscale system properties and behavior.

Competency:
- Read recent nanoscience and course related articles, understand them, present them and write an self consistent essay on it.
- Write an assignements on a specific concept, technique, literature review and nanoscience related research proposal.
Literature

Atkins Physical Chemistry 9th Edition:

Chapters: 8-9.4, 13.1-6, 21.10, 12.1-16, 22.9, 19.8-19.10, 10.3-10.6, 18.6-18.9, 20.8-20.10

 

Articles:

Vogelsang et al., ChemPhysChem 2010

Hell et al., Science 2007

Huang et al., Annual reviews 2009

Kneipp et al., Chem Rev 1999

Chan et al., Current Opinion in Chemical Biology 2007

Carlen et al., Lab Chip 2007

Patolsky et al., Analytical Chemistry 2006

Bjornhølm et al., Contemporary Physics 1990

De Heer et al., Reviews of Modern Physics 1993

 

Lecture notes and additional material, See Absalon

Students are expected to take part in a whole range of classroom activities, including lectures, presentations, discussions, writing assignements and an essay. The students need a personal pc in order the make the assignements and the essay and for access to the Absalon system were all course related information is present.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 62
  • Preparation
  • 160
  • Project work
  • 190
  • Total
  • 412
Credit
15 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral examination, 30 min
Weigth: 33% Assignements, 33% Essay, 34% Oral Exam.
Exam registration requirements
It is required you complete the assignements and write an essay.

1. If a student does not hand in the essay before the deadline, he/she cannot go to the regular exam. A re-examination is only possible if there is another student that handed in the essay on time, did the exam and failed the course. If this is not the case, no re-examination will be organized. If a re-examination is organized, he/she must make a new essay based on a new research article for the oral re-examination and the essay must be handed in a week before the re-examination.

2. If a student hands in the essay at the regular deadline, but does not show up for the oral exam, the student will pass or fail depending on the sum of the scores from the assignments and the essay. Since they count for 66% of the total, it is possible to pass. If the student passes, re-examination is not possible. If the student fails, re-examination is only possible if another student handed in the essay on time, did the exam and failed the course. If a re-examination is organized, he/she does not need to make a new essay. The same scores for the assignments and the essay will be used during the re-examination.

3. If a student hands in the essay at the regular deadline, shows up for the exam and fails the course, he/she is always eligible for re-examination. The same scores for the assignments and the essay will be used during the re-examination.
Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Criteria for exam assesment
Understand and be able to explain the principles and concepts/properties seen in the course: Energy Transfer, Electron transfer and transport, Electronic coupling, Coulomb blockade, particle in a box, tunneling, optical and vibrational spectroscopy techniques, SERS, high resolution fluorescence microscopy, self assembly, aggregate formation, absorption, spontaneaous and stimulated emission, biological and artificial membranes, properties of nanowires, nanosensors (bioFET), nanotubes, graphene, properties of small metal clusters, molecular electronics