Research
The Center for Nanoscale Materials is pursuing world-leading research programs in six major areas. These programs exploit the unique electronic, magnetic, structural, chemical, and optical properties of individual nanostructures and their ordered arrays.
The CNM also works with its partner user facilities at Argonne, the Electron Microscopy Center and the Advanced Photon Source, to provide access to world-leading characterization methods. As a principle component of its mission, the center capitalizes on the brilliance of the Advanced Photon Source for a hard X-ray nanoprobe beamline. The capabilities and focus of the CNM complements those of the other U.S. Department of Energy Nanoscale Science Research Centers.
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Electronic & Magnetic Materials & Devices
The objective of the Electronic and Magnetic Materials and Devices (EMMD) group at the CNM is to discover, understand, and utilize new electron and spin-based materials and phenomena in constrained geometries. Potential benefits include reduced power dissipation, new medical imaging methods and therapies, improved efficiency of data storage by spin current and electrical field-assisted writing, and enhanced energy conversion in photovoltaic devices.
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NanoBio Interfaces
Functionally integrated biomolecule-inorganic hybrid conjugates and their assemblies are developed, guided by nature's principles, for energy and information transduction, advanced medical therapies, biosensors, and novel electronic devices.
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Nanofabrication & Devices
Activities in this group include fabrication of new nanostructured materials, nanodevices, and nanosystems by advancing the state-of-the-art techniques in nanopatterning that incorporate both top-down and bottom-up approaches.
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Nanophotonics
The objective of nanophotonics is to control optical energy and its conversion on the nanoscale by combining metal, organic, semiconducting, and dielectric materials properties and creating strongly coupled states of light and matter for chemical and catalytic reactivity, photonic circuits, sensors, and optical nonlinearities.
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Theory & Modeling
This group works on the development and application of theory and modeling capabilities for the design and characterization of nanoscale materials. Techniques employed range from first-principles electronic structure theory to continuum level modeling. The group focuses on several specific areas including catalysis, oxide formation and ion transport, and optical interactions on the nanoscale.
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X-Ray Microscopy
The X-Ray Microscopy Group utilizes X-rays to image new materials and novel phenomena at the nanoscale, with a particular emphasis on operation of the hard X-ray nanoprobe in collaboration with the Advanced Photon Source, and develops new concepts for nanofocusing X-ray optics. It is key to the specific research areas of CNM and it is also of general utility to the broader nanoscience community in studying nanomaterials and nanostructures, particularly for embedded structures.
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