Nanostructures and Condensed Matter Theoryncmt2011.uwo.ca/pdf/NCMT_program_March5b.pdf · London, Ontario, Canada ncmt2011.uwo.ca. International Conference on Frontier Topics in Nanostructures

International Conference on Frontier Topics in

Nanostructures and

Condensed Matter Theory

1


Nanostructures and


March 9-11, 2011

London, Ontario, Canada

ncmt2011.uwo.ca


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Organizing Committee

4

Plenary and Invited Speakers

5

Message from Chair

7

General Information

8

About the City

10

About the Conference

11

Sponsors

12

Maps of University of Western Ontario

13

Maps of Conference Site

15

Cultural Program

18

Scientific Program at a Glance

19

Short Program

20

Oral Presentation Schedule

24

Plenary and Invited Abstracts

28

Oral Presentation Abstracts

41

Contributed Abstracts

60


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ORGANIZING COMMITTEE Conference chair and secretary:

Professor Mahi R Singh

The University of Western Ontario

London, Canada N6A 3K7

Tel: (519) 661-2111 ext 86427

Email: [email protected]

Conference co-chairs:

Professor Shantanu Basu

The University of Western

Ontario

London, Canada N6A 3K7

Tel: (519) 661-2111 ext 86706


Professor Vladimir A.

Miransky

University of Western Ontario

Middlesex College, Room 271

London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7

Tel: (519) 661-2111 ext 88708


LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE:

Henry Leparskas (Chair)


Ali Hatef (Webmaster)

PhD Candidate in

Condensed Matter Physics


URL: www.alihatef.com

Joel Cox

PhD Candidate in



Chris Racknor

PhD Candidate in


Email:[email protected]

Daniel Schindel

PhD Candidate in


Email:[email protected]


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PLENARY SPEAKERS

Sir Anthony Leggett

Nobel Laureate,

Department of Physics,

University of Illinois at

Urbana-Champaign,

USA

Sajeev John

Department of Physics

University of Toronto,

Canada

INVITED SPEAKERS:

Boris Fainberg

Department of Sciences

HAIT–Holon Academic

Institute of Technology,

Israel

Jean Léotin

Laboratoire National

des Champs Magnétiques

Intenses, Toulouse, France

Geoff Steeves


and Astronomy

University of Victoria,

Canada

Jens Niegemann

Institut für Theoretische

Festkörperphysik

Universität Karlsruhe,

Germany

Godfrey Gumbs


and Astronomy

Hunter College of the

City University of New

York (CUNY), USA

Michael E. Flatté

Department of Physics and

Astronomy

The University of Iowa,

USA

Gyaneshwar P. (GP)

Srivastava

School of Physics

University of Exeter,

UK

Michel Côté

Département de physique

Université de Montréal,

Canada


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Vladimir A. Miransky

Department of Applied

Mathematics

University of Western

Ontario, Canada

Alioscia Hamma

Perimeter Institute of

Theoretical Physics,

Canada

Michel Gingras


and Astronomy

University of Waterloo,

Canada

Russell Thompson

Department of Physics and

Astronomy

University of Waterloo,

Canada

Jean Desforges

Département de

physique et

d'astronomie

Université de Moncton,

Canada

Federico Rosei

Nano Femto Lab -

Université du Québec

Varennes, Québec,

Canada

Session Chairs:

Shantanu Basu

Colin Denniston

David Jeffrey

Mahi Singh

Giovanni Fanchini

John Corrigan


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MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

It is my great pleasure and honour to welcome you to the first Conference on Frontier Topics in

Nanostructures and Condensed Matter Theory (NCMT-2011) at the University of Western Ontario,

London, Canada on March 9-11, 2011. London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada with a

population of about 400,000. The city was named after London, England. The University of

Western Ontario (UWO) has developed over 125 years from a small community of scholars into

one of Canada's leading universities, and now is a vibrant centre of learning with about 1,600 full-

time faculty members and approximately 38,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Through its

12 Faculties, and three affiliated Colleges, the University offers more than 400 different majors,

minors, and specializations. The University of Western Ontario has been rated as having the best

student experience among Canada‟s Universities for seven years running. The amenities here are

second to none, and many items considered extra at other institutions are free to students at UWO.

The NCMT-2011 brings together scientists and engineers from around the world to discuss the most

recent developments in the areas of Nanostructures and Condensed Matter Theory. This meeting

presents a unique opportunity to establish international collaborations, networking contacts and

partnerships among scientists working on nanomaterials from all over the world.

I would like to thank the co-chairs and organizing committee members: Dr. Shantanu Basu, Dr.

Vladimir Miransky, Mr. Henry Leparskas, Mr. Ali Hatef, Mr. Daniel Schindel, Mr. Joel Cox, and

Mr. Chris Racknor for their great help in bringing this event together. I also would like to thank Ms.

Jackie Mclean, Ms. Jodi Guthrie and Mr. Peter Frank for their assistance in organizing this event.

On behalf of the organizing committee, I sincerely hope that this conference exceeds your scientific

expectations and I wish you a wonderful stay in London, and in this historic and beautiful region of

Canada.

Mahi R. Singh

Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Conference Chair


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GENERAL INFORMATION

Maps of the City and Conference Site

Maps of the city of London and the conference site are provided in this booklet. These maps will

indicate locations of the local hotels as well as the conference venue.

Conference Site

The conference will be held at the following address:

University Community Centre, Room 315 (Council Chambers)

3rd

Floor, UCC Building


London, ON N6A 3K7

For details, please refer to the map provided in this booklet.

The University Community Centre is within walking distance from Windermere Manor and Guest

House on the Mount. The walking route from Windermere Manor takes about 10-25 minutes and is

shown in one of the maps provided in this booklet. We strongly recommend that you arrive at the

conference site 10 minutes before the conference begins.

Plenary, Invited, and Oral Presentations

The oral presentations will be allotted the following time slots:

Plenary Talks: 50 minutes + 10 minutes for questions

Invited Talks: 25 minutes + 5 minutes for questions

Oral Presentations: 4 minutes + 1 minute for questions

Plenary and invited speakers should give their presentation to the chair of their session prior to the

start of the session. Overhead and PC video-projectors will be available for oral presentations.

Please confer with the organizing committee staff to ensure that there are no technical problems

prior to your presentation.

Registration

Registration will be take place in UCC room 315 at the following times

Wednesday Evening registration - CANCELLED

Thursday, March 10: 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Friday, March 11: 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM


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Conference Lunches

Two conference lunch tickets are included in your conference package. Conference lunches will be

held at The Wave Restaurant and Bar. The address is:

The Wave Restaurant & Bar,

2nd

Floor, UCC Building 295


London, ON N6A 3K7

Please keep the lunch tickets in a safe place and present them at the entrance of the restaurant

during lunch.

Conference Dinner

The conference dinner will be held at Windermere Manor on Thursday, March 10 at 7:00 PM. The

address of Windermere Manor is:

The Windermere Manor,

200 Collip Circle,

London, Ontario N6G 4X8

Telephone: 519 858-1414 (Toll Free: 1-800-997-4477)

The conference dinner ticket is included in your conference package. If your conference package

does not include the conference dinner ticket, you may purchase a ticket from the registration desk.

Parking

Western Visitor and Parking Services has been notified that some participants will be arriving by

automobile. Our preferred parking location is the Social Sciences lot. When you arrive at this lot,

you can inform the attendant that you are an NCMT conference participant and you will be allowed

in. In case this lot is full you will be directed to another attended lot.

See web pages: www.uwo.ca/parking and www.uwo.ca/maps to find the Social Sciences lot.

Notepad

Please note that there are blank pages for taking notes provided at the back of this booklet.

http://www.uwo.ca/parking

http://www.uwo.ca/maps


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ABOUT THE CITY

London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada with a population of about 400,000. The city was

named after London, England. London is at the forks of the non-navigable Thames River,

approximately halfway between Toronto and Detroit, Michigan. London was at one time set aside

to be the future capital of Ontario, and has held positions of some importance over the years.

London is home to Fanshawe College and the University of Western Ontario, which contribute to

the city's reputation for research and cultural activity. London's festivals contribute to its tourism

industry, but its economic activity is centered on military vehicle production, medical research,

insurance, and information technology. There are many cultural venues, from the Grand Theatre, to

the Guy Lombardo Music Centre, the Secrets of Radar Museum, and the Museum of Ontario

Archaeology. London also retains the moniker of „Forest City‟ owing to the many parks and nature

trails primarily on riverbanks. Going further afield, nearby attractions include Niagara Falls,

Stratford, the local theatre capital, and the automotive history that is Detroit.


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ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

The International Conference on Frontier Topics in Nanostructures and Condensed Matter

Theory (NCMT-2011) is being held on March 9-11, 2011 at the University of Western Ontario,

London, Canada. The objective of this conference is to bring together scientists and engineers

working on electronics, optoelectronics, spintronics, plasmonics, and photonics to discuss the

most recent theoretical developments in nanostructured materials. There will be oral presentations

as well as plenary and invited talks by stalwarts in the fields. Participants will work in the fields

listed below and related areas.

Superconductivity and Superfluidity

Phase Transitions, Renormalization Group, and Scaling

Photonic Crystals and their applications

Quantum dots, Wires, and Wells

Quantum Hall effect

Carbon Nanostructures: Nanotubes, Graphene

Plasmonic and Photonic Nanostructures

Quantum Magnetism, Non-Fermi Liquids, and Spin liquids

Spin and Charge Density Waves

Quantum information, Switching, and Computing

Bose-Einstein Condensation, Ultra-cold Atomic and Molecular Gases

Membranes, Polymers, and DNA

Liquid Crystals, Glasses

Nanoparticles, Nanoclusters, Nanocomposites, and Nanomaterials

Nanowires, Nanofibers, and Nanowaveguides

Electronics, Excitonics, Photonics, and Spintronics

Biological Physics

Soft Condensed Matter Physics

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology


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WE THANK OUR SPONSORS

Depts. of Physics and Astronomy and Applied Mathematics

Office of the Vice-President (Research &

International Relations),


CAMBR (Centre of Advanced Materials and Biomaterials

Research)

Faculty of Engineering

Faculty of Science

Theoretical Physics Program


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MAP OF THE UNIVERISTY OF WESTERN ONTARIO


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LOCATION OF HOTELS AND CONFERENCE SITE

Windermere Manor 200 Collip Circle,

London, Ontario N6G 4X8

Phone: (519) 858-1414

Toll Free: 1-800-997-4477

Guest House on the Mount Ignatia Hall, 2nd floor

1486 Richmond Street

London, Ontario N6G 2M3

Phone: (519) 641-8100

Conference Site: University Community

Centre (UCC)


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First Floor

The University Community

Centre (UCC)


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Second Floor


Centre (UCC)

McKellar Room

The Wave

Restaurant & Bar


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Third Floor


Centre (UCC)

Conference Room:

UCC Room 315

(Council Chambers)


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CULTURAL PROGRAM AT THE CONFERENCE

DINNER

Indian classical dance will be provided during the conference dinner by the Natyaraji School of Dance,

London, Ontario. Dance is part of the synthesis of yoga because it helps in the development of one's body,

mind, heart and spirit. The intellect is also stimulated by the alternating rapid and slow body movements.

The music heard by the ears is sensed by the various limbs of the body that express those feelings in a

pleasing visible form. The intricate movements help the mind to concentrate and the dance helps to rid the

mind of unwanted thoughts. Indian Classical Dance has a fascinating history. Bharatanatyam is one of the

most ancient classical dance forms of India. The words in "Bharata Natyam" signifies dance according to the principles

laid down by the ancient sage Bharata in his great classic Natya Shastra. This graceful dance form provides spiritual

satisfaction to the performer and aesthetic pleasure to the audience.

The Dancers will be presenting 3 classical Bharata Natyam items on behalf of the Natyaraji School of Dance given

below:

Ganapati Puja: This is an Invocation Dance to Lord Ganesha: Lord Ganesha is the Remover of Obstacles in

Hindu Mythology. It will be done by Shivani Parihar.

Alarimpu: Alarimpu is a flower that blossoms with sunrise. In Dance, it signifies the opening of the body and

the coordination of the movement of the hands, feet, neck and eyes. The dancers are Pooja Rawal, Viveka

Sainani and Mihika Jog.

Tillana: This is a Finale item in a Bharata Natyam repertoire. It is a joyous display of graceful pure dance

characterized by a variety of patterns of footwork. This Tillana is a tribute to Lord Vinayaka. This dance will

be done by Silpa Valluri.


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NCMT-2011 Scientific Program at a Glance

WEDENSDAY

9 MARCH

THURSDAY

10 MARCH

FRIDAY

11 MARCH

8:00-9:00 Registration Registration

8:45-9:00

Plenary Chair:

Shantanu Basu

Chair:

Mahi Singh

9:00-10:00 P-Th

Anthony Leggett

P-Fr

Sajeev John

10:00-10:30 Coffee Coffee

Session A Chair:

John Corrigan

Chair :

Colin Denniston

10:30-11:00 I-Th-A1

Jean Léotin

I-Fr-A1

Michael Flatté

11:00-11:30 I-Th-A2

Jens Niegemann

I-Fr-A2

Michel Gingras

11:30-12:00 I-Th-A3

Geoff Steeves

I-Fr-A3

Federico Rosei

12:00-1:00 LUNCH LUNCH

Session B Chair:

David Jeffrey

Chair:

Giovanni Fanchini

1:00-1:30 I-Th-B1

Dmitry Smirnov

I-Fr-B1

Godfrey Gumbs

1:30-2:00 I-Th-B2

Russell Thompson

OA-Fr-B

Oral-Abstracts

2:00-2:30 OA-Th-B

Oral-Abstracts

I-Fr-B2

Vladimir Miransky

2:30-3:00 I-Th-B3

Michel Côté

I-Fr-B3

Boris Fainberg

3:00-3:30 Coffee Coffee

Session C Chair:

Public Talk Chair:

Shantanu Basu

3:30-4:00 I-Th-C1

Gyaneshwar Srivastava

Anthony Leggett

4:00-5:00 OA-Th-C

Oral-Abstracts

Anthony Leggett

5:00-5:30 I-Th-C2

Jean Desforges

5:30-6:00 I-Th-C3

Alioscia Hamma

7:00-8:30 CONFERENCE DINNER


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SHORT PROGRAM

Thursday March 10, 2011

Registration: 8:00-9:00

Opening Ceremony: 8:45-9:00

Plenary Session - Thursday (Chair: Shantanu Basu)

9:00-10:00

P-Th

Anthony Leggett, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA

Cuprate superconductivity without a "model"

Coffee Break: 10:00-10:30

Session Th-A (Chair: John Corrigan)

10:30-11:00

I-Th-A1

Jean Léotin, Laboratoire National des Champs Magnétiques Intenses, Toulouse,

France

Magneto-optics from Faraday to nowadays

11:00-11:30

I-Th-A2

Jens Niegemann, Christopher Prohm, Michael König, Timo Köllner and Kurt Busch,

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany

Modeling plasmonic nanostructures

11:30-12:00

I-Th-A3

Geoff Steeves, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria,

Canada

Photon counting with MKID detectors

Lunch: 12:00-13:00

Session Th-B (Chair: David Jeffrey)

13:00-13:30

I-Th-B1

Dmitry Smirnov, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, USA

High field optical magneto-spectroscopy of graphite

13:30-14:00

I-Th-B2

Russell Thompson, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo,

Canada

Self-assembling nanostructures with mistakes… on purpose


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14:00-14:30 OA-Th-B

(See details on oral presentation schedule on page 24)

14:30-15:00 I-Th-B3 Michel Côté, Nicolas Bérubé and Simon Lévesque, Département de physique,

Université de Montréal, Canada

Design of polymers for photovoltaic application: an ab initio approach


Session Th-C (Chair: )

15:30-16:00

I-Th-C1

Gyaneshwar Srivastava, School of Physics, University of Exeter, U.K.

Theory of phonon transport in nanostructured semiconductors

16:00-17:00 OA-Th-C


17:00-17:30

I-Th-C2

Jean Desforges, Tahar B.-Messaoud, Luc Robichaud, Martin Leblanc and Serge

Gauvin, Département de physique et d'astronomie, Université de Moncton,

Canada

Optical and morphological properties of zirconium oxide thin films deposited

by DC reactive magnetron sputtering: the influence of temperature and

ultraviolet irradiation

17:30-18:00 I-Th-C3 Alioscia Hamma, Perimeter Institute of Theoretical Physics, Canada

Topological order at finite temperature and the quest for quantum memory

Conference Dinner: 19:00-20:30


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Friday March 11, 2011

Registration: 8:00-9:00

Plenary Session - Friday (Chair: Mahi Singh)

9:00-10:00

P-Fr

Sajeev John, Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Canada

Photonic band gap materials: Light-trapping crystals


Session Fr-A (Chair: Colin Denniston)

10:30-11:00

I-Fr-A1

Michael Flatté, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa, USA

Spin-photon entanglement: from a single spin to a nanomagnet

11:00-11:30

I-Fr-A2

Michel Gingras, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Univeristy of Waterloo,

Canada

Collective phenomena in LiHoxY1-xF4 quantum ising magnet: recent progress

and open questions

11:30-12:00

I-Fr-A3

Federico Rosei, INRS Energie, Materiaux et Telecommunications, Université du

Québec, Canada

Exploring molecular assembly at surfaces

Lunch: 12:00-13:00

Session Fr-B (Chair: Giovanni Fanchini)

13:00-13:30

I-Fr-B1

Godfrey Gumbs, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Hunter College of the City

University of New York, USA

Effects of electric and magnetic fields on plasma excitations and electron

transport in graphene

13:30-14:00 OA-Fr-B



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14:00-14:30 I-Fr-B2

Vladimir Miransky, Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Western

Ontario, Canada

Theory of quantum hall effect in bilayer graphene

14:30-15:00 I-Fr-B3

Boris Fainberg, G. Li and A. Nitzan, Faculty of Sciences, Holon Institute of

Technology, Israel and School of Chemistry, Tel-Aviv University, Israel

Coherent charge transport through molecular nanojunctions: “exciton

blocking” and interplay between “exciton” and Coulomb blocking in the wire


Public Talk (Chair: Shantanu Basu)

15:30-17:00


Does the everyday world really obey quantum mechanics?


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ORAL PRESENTATION SCHEDULE

Thursday March 10, 2011

OA-Th-B

14:00-14:05

OA-Th-B1

M. Shafiq Ahmed, Faranak Sharifi, Reg Bauld and Giovanni Fanchini, Dept. of

Physics & Astronomy, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

Transparent and Conducting Graphene films for Optoelectronics

14:05-14:10

OA-Th-B2

Mohammad H. Ansari and Frank K. Wilhelm, Institute for Quantum Computing

(IQC), University of Waterloo, Canada

Critical current noise and junction resonators in Josephson junction from

interacting trap states

14:10-14:15

OA-Th-B3

E.G. Barbagiovanni1, D.J. Lockwood

2, L.V. Goncharova

1, P.J. Simpson

1,

1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Western Ontario, London,

Ontario, Canada, 2National Research Council Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Effect of Crystallinity on Quantum Confinement in Si and Ge Nano-Structures

14:15-14:20 OA-Th-B4

Styliani Constas, Department of Chemistry, University of Western Ontario, Canada

Stability of highly charged nanodroplets with respect to proton release.

14:20-14:25 OA-Th-B5

Rajat Dey and Jayshri Sabarinathan, Department of Electrical and Computer

Engineering, University of Western Ontario, Canada

Comparison Between Photonic Crystal Based Y-Junction and MMI Power

Splitter

14:25-14:30 OA-Th-B6

Hossein Ismaili and Mark S. Workentin, Department of Chemistry, University of

Western Ontario, Canada

Diazirine photochemistry to prepare gold nanoparticle-based hybrid materials


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OA-Th-C

16:00-16:05 OA-Th-C1 Yeongyoon Kim and Russell B. Thompson, Department of Physics and Astronomy,

University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1

Testing Classical Nucleation Theory for Nano-Cellular Polymeric Foam

16:05-16:10 OA-Th-C2

Tetyana Levchenko, Christian Kübel, John F. Corrigan and Yining Huang,

University of Western Ontario, Canada

From Molecule to Materials: Crystalline Superlattices of Nanoscopic CdS

16:10-16:15 OA-Th-C3

Xiangbo (Henry) Meng, Ruying Li and Xueliang (Andy) Sun, The University of

Western Ontario, Canada

Atomic Layer Deposition: A New Technique to Synthesize Novel

Nanocomposites for Renewable Clean Energy Conversion and Storage

16:15-16:20 OA-Th-C4

Anil Kumar Mudraboyina and Jayshri Sabarinathan, Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering, University of Western Ontario, Canada

Two-Channel Photonic Crystal Wavelength Splitter for Sensor Application

16:20-16:25 OA-Th-C5

Ilya G. Ryabinkin and Viktor N. Staroverov, Department of Chemistry, University

of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada, N6A 5B7

An explicitly correlated method for two electrons in a two-dimensional square

box

16:25-16:30 OA-Th-C6

Daryoush Shiri1, Jie Liu

2, S. S. Saini

1, C. R. (Selva) Selvakumar

1 and M. P. (Anant)

Anantram2,

1Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of

Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2Department of Electrical Engineering, University of

Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

First Principle Study of Photoluminescence in Silicon Nanowires

16:30-16:35 OA-Th-C7

Shuhui Sun1, Gaixia Zhang

1, Ruying Li

1, Mei Cai

2 and Andy X. Sun

1,

1Department

of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Western Ontario, London,

Ontario, N6A 5B9 Canada, 2General Motors R&D Center, Warren, MI 48090-9055,

USA

Platinum Nanowire-based Highly Active and Durable Electrocatalyst for PEM

Fuel Cells


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16:35-16:40 OA-Th-C8

Deepak Tripathi, Lalita Bhasin, R. Uma and V. K. Tripathi, Center for Energy

Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi-110016, India

Generation of Terahertz radiation by a Gaussian laser beam in a plasma

16:40-16:45 OA-Th-C9 (16:40-16:45)

Nasrin Farhangi, Yaocihuatl Medina-González and Paul A. Charpentier, Department

of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, University of Western Ontario, London,

Ontario, Canada N6A 5B9

TiO2 nanoparticles on the surface of graphene sheets by simple sonication

method for photovoltaic applications

16:45-16:50 OA-Th-C10

Chandra Sekhar Manda, Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of

Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 3K7

Growth and characterization of magneto-optical materials for integrated

optical isolator applications

16:50-16:55 OA-Th-C11

Pradeep Kulkarni, Rajmal Jain and Malini Aggrawal, Department of Physics,

Z.B.Patil College, North Maharashtra University, Jalgoan, India

Relationship between CME dynamics and solar flare plasma

16:55-17:00 OA-Th-C12

Pavlo Pyatkovskiy, Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Western

Ontario, Canada

Polarization function of monolayer graphene in a magnetic field


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ORAL PRESENTATION SCHEDULE

Friday March 11, 2011

OA-Fr-B

13:30-13:35

OA-Fr-B1

Sepideh Rezvani, Department of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering, The

University of Western Ontario, Canada

A Microfluidics approach to the synthesis of novel polymeric microspheres

reinforced with n-TiO2

13:35-13:40

OA-Fr-B2

Mehrnaz Salarian and Paul A. Charpentier, Department of Chemical and

Biochemical Engineering, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada

Synthesis of TiO2 nanofiber/PPF composites for biomaterial application

13:40-13:45

OA-Fr-B3

B.S. Bhadoria1, Rama Shankar Yadav

1 and Sarita Singh

2,

1Dept. of Physics,

Bundelkhand University, Kanpur Road, Jhansi (UP) India 284128, 2Dept. of

Electronics and Communication, MITS, Gole Ka Mandir, Gwalior (M.P.) India

Variation of Electronic States of Quantum Dot Structures

13:45-13:50 OA-Fr-B4

S. Arghavan and A. V. Singh, Department of Mechanical and Materials

Engineering, The University of Western Ontario, London ON, Canada N6A 5B9

Free Vibration of Single Layer Graphene Sheets

13:50-13:55 OA-Fr-B5 (13:50-13:55)

Rakesh Dhote, Roderick Melnik and Jean Zu, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering

Department, University of Toronto, Canada

Properties of Finite Length Shape Memory Alloy Nanowires and Dynamic

Thermo-Mechanical Coupling


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PLENARY AND

INVITED TALK

ABSTRACTS:

Thursday, March 10th


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PLENARY - THURSDAY

P-Th (9:00-10:00)


Cuprate superconductivity without a "model"

I start by reviewing the question: What can we reasonably say we know for sure about

superconductivity in the cuprates, without reliance on any micro-scopic “model?” Then I ask: On

the basis of this knowledge and of some very generic and hopefully reasonable assumptions, are

there interesting questions we can ask which we have some hope of answering definitively by

experiment? I identify one such question, namely: In which regions of momentum and frequency

space is the inter-conduction electron Coulomb interaction energy saved (or expended) when the

system becomes superconducting? I conjecture a possible answer to this question, show that it is

consistent with the dependence of the transition temperature on the c-axis layering structure and

emphasize that it makes quantitative and experimentally testable predictions.

SESSION A - THURSDAY

I-Th-A1 (10:30-11:00)

Jean Léotin, Laboratoire National des Champs Magnétiques Intenses, Toulouse, France

[email protected]

Magneto-Optics from Faraday to Nowadays

We report on recent advances in magneto-optics that took place in the terahertz spectrum by

implementing time-domain spectroscopy techniques. The significant breakthrough of this technique

is the control of not only the polarisation of the probing wave, as Michael Faraday did with

incoherent blackbody visible radiation, but also its amplitude, frequency and phase. To date, the

challenge remains for probing condensed matter systems to develop time-domain magneto-

spectroscopy in very high magnetic fields that are only reached by pulsed magnets. We report the

first implementation of this goal in pulsed magnetic field by measuring cyclotron resonance of holes

in germanium. On the other hand, we also present a compact magneto-spectrometer that uses THz

quantum cascade lasers with a 60 T pulsed magnet. At the end, a table-top Faraday rotation

experiment in pulsed magnetic field will be displayed.


Nanostructures and


30

I-Th-A2 (11:00-11:30)

Jens Niegemann, Christopher Prohm, Michael König, Timo Köllner and Kurt Busch, Karlsruhe

Institute of Technology, Germany

[email protected]

Modeling Plasmonic Nanostructures

The numerical analysis of plasmonic nano-structures typically consists of (at least) two, somewhat

related, challenges. First, one needs to accurately solve Maxwell's equations in order to properly

model the electromagnetic part of the plasmonic excitation. Second, one also has to find and solve

an appropriate material model, which describes the electronic response of the metallic

nanostructure. For solving Maxwell's equations, we propose to use a discontinuous Galerkin method

as an accurate and efficient time-domain solver. This method has the great advantage, that it is

readily extended to handle hydrodynamic equations which we employ to model the non-local and

non-linear electronic response of plasmonic nanostructures. In this presentation, I will briefly

introduce our methodology and show recent results on the characterization of metallic nano-spheres

and dimers.

I-Th-A3 (11:30-12:00)

Geoff Steeves, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, Canada

[email protected]

Photon counting with MKID detectors

Single photon sensitivity is a frontier in detector physics. Avalanche photodiodes and

photomultiplier tubes have achieved this goal in the visible and near IR wavelength range. Outside

this range from the infra-red to microwave radiation, there is a race to develop new detector

technologies with single photon sensitivity. Ultrasensitive photo-detectors operating in this range

would benefit broad fields of research, from astrophysics to quantum computing and quantum

communications. Here I will present a promising new approach towards single photon detection.

The approach is based on the kinetic inductance of electrons in high Q superconducting micro-

resonators. Patterned polycrystalline TiN thin film resonators have recently been shown to be an

exceptional material for these applications with high normal resistivity, and in the superconducting

state, low microwave dissipation and high Q‟s > 10^7. This discovery has renewed interest in using

superconducting micro-resonators for photon-detectors and detector arrays.

mailto:[email protected]


Nanostructures and


31

SESSION B - THURSDAY

I-Th-B1 (13:00-13:30)

Dmitry Smirnov, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Tallahassee, FL 32312, USA

[email protected]

High field optical magneto-spectroscopy of graphite

The unique properties found in a single sheet of carbon atoms, graphene, had inspired many studies

in the graphene‟s parent compound, graphite. The band structure of graphite is commonly described

by the Slonczewski-Weiss-McClure (SWM) tight-binding model. At the high-symmetry points of

the Brillouin zone, graphite‟s band structure can be understood as a combination of a monolayer

graphene model, which describes the holes at the H-point as massless Dirac fermions, and an

effective bilayer model, which describes the electrons at the K-point as massive Schrödinger

fermions with an adjusted coupling constant.

Recently we performed high-field magneto-Raman scattering and infrared reflectance studies of

graphite in high magnetic fields up to 45T and 31T, respectively. The experimental results reveal a

complex spectrum of excitations due to both the Schrödinger-like (K-point) and Dirac-like (H-

point) inter Landau levels transitions as well as the effects of electron-phonon coupling. In

particular, the intense magnetic field resolves the transitions caused by the symmetry breaking of

the doubly degenerate E3 band near the charge-neutrality point and splitting of interband transitions

due to electron-hole asymmetry.

A good qualitative description of the observed transition energies can be obtained using a model

based on the effective bilayer approximation modified to include electron-hole asymmetry. Still,

neither model provides a satisfactory description of the lowest Landau levels which calls further

theoretical efforts.



Nanostructures and


32

I-Th-B2 (13:30-14:00)

Russell Thompson, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology,

University of Waterloo, Canada

[email protected]

Self-Assembling Nanostructures with Mistakes… On Purpose

Self-assembly, a powerful route to the formation of nanostructures, is often limited by defects. This

is certainly an issue with block copolymers and block copolymer nanocomposite systems.

Experiments have shown that defects in block copolymer nanocomposites can perhaps be predicted

based on certain design rules. This would go a long way to allowing the formation of more perfect

self-assembled nanostructures in these systems, but it also opens intriguing possibilities for

deliberately engineering in defects. Unfortunately, block copolymer nanocomposite experiments are

not easy to perform. In this talk, I'll introduce some preliminary results from self-consistent field

theory and density functional theory calculations performed in my group that show agreement with

experiment and offer explanations for experimentally observed design rules. The theoretical

approach in principle allows one to make predictions about block copolymer nanocomposite defects

with much higher throughput than with experiment alone.

I-Th-B3 (14:30-15:00)

Michel Côté, Nicolas Bérubé and Simon Lévesque, Département de physique, Université de

Montréal, Canada

[email protected]

Design of polymers for photovoltaic application: an ab initio approach

Organic materials offer an alternative approach in the fabrication of photovoltaic devices. They

have the potential to greatly reduce the production cost, they are flexible and light weight. Although

devices made of organic materials such as polymers are not as efficient as inorganic

semiconductors, their performance is increasing rapidly reaching presently close to 8%. The search

for better photovoltaic polymers is very active, and ab initio calculations can help in this pursuit by

assessing potential polymers and evaluate their value even before they are synthesized. In this

presentation, I will discuss the important electronic proprieties needed for polymers used in

photovoltaic devices and illustrate how ab initio calculations can help design even better polymers. I

will address the questions of how to calculate Voc and propose candidate polymers to replace the

presently used PCBM as electron conductors in photovoltaic devices.



Nanostructures and


33

SESSION C - THURSDAY

I-Th-C1 (15:30-16:00)

Gyaneshwar Srivastava, School of Physics, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QL, U.K.

[email protected]

Theory of phonon transport in nanostructured semiconductors

We present a theory of phonon transport in nanostructured semiconductors. For this, we discuss our

recently derived expressions for phonon scatterings by interface mass mixing, interface dislocations,

and anharmonicity in nanostructured semiconductor superlattices. The relative importance of these

scattering mechanisms for Si/Ge and GaAs/AlAs superlattices is quantified from numerical

calculations of the phonon conductivity tensor within the single-mode relaxation time scheme. The

numerical calculations employ the phonon dispersion relations using an enhanced adiabatic bond

charge model, a model anharmonic crystal potential, and a special q-points scheme for realistic

Brillouin zone integration. The lattice thermal conductivity of Si nanowires is calculated using

Debye's isotropic continuum method for phonon dispersion and Brillouin zone integration. Phonon

transport in Si/Ge superlattices is contrasted with that in Si nanowires. Using our numerical results,

we discuss the role of dimensionality in nanostructuring semiconductors for achieving desired

thermal properties.

I-Th-C2 (17:00-17:30)

Jean Desforges, Tahar B.-Messaoud, Luc Robichaud, Martin Leblanc and Serge Gauvin, University

of Moncton, Moncton, Canada

[email protected]

Optical and morphological properties of zirconium oxide thin films deposited by DC reactive

magnetron sputtering: the influence of temperature and ultraviolet irradiation

Zirconium oxide (ZrO2) has highly attractive optical properties such as low absorption of light, high

refractive index, high transparency over a wide spectral range and high pulsed laser damage

threshold. For this reason, ZrO2 films are widely used in the optical and electronic industries. For

example, ZrO2 is often used as the high index material in the fabrication of Bragg mirrors. Our

results show that the properties of these films depend on the deposition method used, the deposition

conditions (substrate nature, temperature, deposition rate and so on) and on post deposition

treatments like heating and ultraviolet irradiation. In this talk, I will review the research done on

ZrO2 thin films deposited by direct current reactive magnetron sputtering. Heating and ultraviolet

irradiation are used as post-deposition processes to complete the oxidation of the films. I will

discuss how these processes also affect the optical and morphological properties of the films.


Nanostructures and


34

I-Th-C3 (17:30-18:00)

Alioscia Hamma, Perimeter Institute of Theoretical Physics, Canada

[email protected]

Topological order at finite temperature and the quest for quantum memory

We discuss the existence of stable topological quantum memory at finite temperature. At stake here

is the fundamental question of whether it is in principle possible to store quantum information for

macroscopic times without the intervention from the external world, that is, without error

correction. We show how this problem is of fundamental importance in quantum statistical

mechanics. We consider the toric code in two dimensions with an additional bosonic field that

couples to the defects, in the presence of a generic environment at finite temperature: the toric-

boson model. We show that, in the topological phase, there is a finite temperature below which

open strings are confined and therefore the lifetime of the memory can be made arbitrarily

(polynomially) long in system size. The interaction with the bosonic field yields a long range

attractive force between the end points of open strings, but leaves closed strings and

topological order intact.


Nanostructures and


35

PLENARY AND

INVITED TALK

ABSTRACTS:

Friday, March 11th


Nanostructures and


36

PLENARY - FRIDAY

P-Fr (9:00-10:00)

Sajeev John, Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Canada

Photonic band gap materials: Light-trapping crystals

Photonic band gap (PBG) materials [1,2] are artificial periodic dielectric microstructures capable of

trapping light in three-dimensions [3] on sub-wavelength scales without absorption loss. This offers

new opportunities for efficient solar energy trapping and harvesting in suitably microstructured thin

films [4]. It also enables virtually complete control of the flow of light on microscopic scales in a

3D optical chip [5-7] as well as very strong coupling of light to matter where desired. By further

engineering the electromagnetic density of states [8-10] within the chip it is possible to realize

unprecedented coherent optical control of the quantum state of resonant atoms or quantum dots [11,

12]. This defines a fundamentally new strong-coupling regime for quantum optics. It enables

multiple-wavelength channel optical logic to be performed on a chip on picosecond time scales at

microwatt power levels.

I discuss further consequences of light trapping in classical and quantum electrodynamics. I also

discuss the challenges and requirements for materials fabrication to realize these remarkable effects.

1. S. John, Physical Review Letters 58, 2486 (1987)

2. E. Yablonovitch, Physical Review Letters 58, 2059 (1987)

3. S. John, Physical Review Letters 53, 2169 (1984)

4. A. Chutinan and S. John, Physical Review A 78, 023825 (2008)

5. A. Chutinan, S. John, and O. Toader, Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 123901 (2003)

6. A. Chutinan and S. John, Physical Review B 72, 16, 161316 (2005)

7. A Chutinan and S. John, Optics Express 14 (3), 1266 (2006)

8. D. Vujic and S. John, Physical Review A 76, 063814 (2007)

9. R.Z. Wang and S. John, Physical Review A 70, 043805 (2004)

10. R.Z. Wang and S. John, J. Photonics and Nanostructures (Elsevier) 2, 137 (2004)

11. Xun Ma and Sajeev John, Physical Review Letters 103, 233601 (2009)

12. Xun Ma and Sajeev John, Physical Review A 80, 063810 (2009)


Nanostructures and


37

SESSION A - FRIDAY

I-Fr-A1 (10:30-11:00)

Michael Flatté, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa, USA

[email protected]

Spin-Photon Entanglement: From a Single Spin to a Nanomagnet

Electronic spins in semiconductors can have exceptionally long coherence times, during which time

they can interact and become entangled with photonic fields. For example, a single spin confined to

a quantum dot can become fully entangled with a single photon in a microcavity, providing a

mechanism for implementing teleportation. For a stronger light field the single spin behaves as if it

experiences an effective, large magnetic field, and coherently precesses. When a collection of spins

is exchange-locked to form a macrospin in a nanomagnet, and is illuminated by a strong light field,

coherent entangled states involving large numbers of photon states and spin orientations are formed.

These interaction mechanisms and coherent spin-photon states provide the essential link between

spintronic and photonic quantum information devices by permitting quantum information to be

exchanged between them. This work was supported by an ONR MURI and by DARPA/ARO.

I-Fr-A2 (11:00-11:30)

Michel Gingras, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo

[email protected]

Collective Phenomena in LiHoxY1-xF4 Quantum Ising Magnet: Recent Progress and Open

Questions

The Ising model of "spins" that can only have two possible "up" or "down" states is the simplest

model that exhibits the essential physics of temperature driven, or classical, collective phenomena

in Nature. Hundred years of theoretical studies have just about clarified everything that can be

asked about the Ising model. Over the past twenty-five years, attention has turned towards quantum

mechanical versions of the Ising model in order to explore the problem of quantum fluctuations and

quantum phase transitions in condensed matter physics. Perhaps surprisingly, on the experimental

side, Ising materials are few and far between. One such material is LiHoF4, and its random

disordered variant, LiHoxY1-xF4, where Ho3+

ions are the magnetic moment carrying species that

can be described by an Ising spin variable. Since the mid 1980s, the behaviour of this material has

defied standard theoretical expectations whenever quantum fluctuations are induced in this system

by an applied magnetic field transverse to the Ho3+

magnetic moments. In this talk, I will review the

interesting physics of quantum fluctuations and random disorder in LiHoxY1-xF4 and the recent

progress made in understanding the behaviour of this material in presence of random disorder and

transverse-field induced quantum fluctuations.


Nanostructures and


38

I-Fr-A3 (11:30-12:00)

Federico Rosei, INRS Energie, Materiaux et Telecommunications, Université du Québec 1650

Boul. Lionel Boulet, J3X 1S2 Varennes (QC), Canada

[email protected]

Exploring molecular assembly at surfaces

The adsorption and self–assembly of organic molecules at surfaces has recently been investigated

extensively, both because of the fundamental interest and for prospective applications in

nanoelectronics [1,2]. Molecule–molecule and molecule–substrate interactions can be tuned by

appropriate choice of substrate material and symmetry. Upon molecular adsorption, surfaces

typically do not behave as static templates, but often rearrange to accommodate different molecular

species [3,4]. We review recent experiments using Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy, providing new

insight into fundamental properties such as molecular diffusion [5,6] and self–assembly via surface

templating [7-9] and H-bonding driven by co-adsorption [10-12]. Our approach is to modify

surfaces providing suitable surface cues, that may guide the assembly of adsorbates. Recent

advances in using the substrate as catalyst for surface confined polymerization reactions will also be

discussed [13-15].

[1] F. Rosei et al., Prog. Surf. Science 71, 95 (2003).

[2] R. Otero, F. Rosei, F. Besenbacher, Annu. Rev. Phys. Chem. 57, 497 (2006).

[3] F. Rosei et al., Science 296, 328 (2002).

[4] R. Otero, F. Rosei, et al., Nanoletters 4, 75 (2004).

[5] M. Schunack, T.R. Linderoth, F. Rosei, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 156102 (2002).

[6] J. Miwa et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 128, 3164 (2006).

[7] R. Otero, Y. Naitoh, F. Rosei et al., Angew. Chem. 43, 4092 (2004).

[8] F. Cicoira et al., Small, 2, 1366 (2006).

[9] F. Cicoira et al., J. Phys. Chem. A 111, 12674 (2007).

[10] K.G. Nath et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 128, 4212 (2006).

[11] K.G. Nath et al., J. Phys. Chem. C 111, 16996 (2007).

[12] J. MacLeod et al., Nanotechnology 18, 424031 (2007).

[13] D.F. Perepichka, F. Rosei, Science 322, 216 (2009).

[14] J. Lipton-Duffin et al., Small 5, 592 (2009).

[15] J. Lipton-Duffin et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 107, 11200 (2010).



Nanostructures and


39

SESSION B - FRIDAY

I-Fr-B1 (13:00-13:30)

Godfrey Gumbs, Hunter College of the City University of New York, USA

[email protected]

Effects of Electric and Magnetic Fields on Plasma Excitations and Electron Transport in

Graphene

Recent advantages in the fabrication techniques of graphene nanoribbons (GNR) together with the

long electron mean free path have stimulated considerable interest in their potential applications as

interconnects in nano circuits. We have demonstrated that when GNRs are placed in mutually

perpendicular electric and magnetic fields, there are dramatic changes in their band structure and

transport properties. The electric field across the ribbon induces multiple chiral Dirac points,

whereas a perpendicular magnetic field induces partially formed Landau levels accompanied by

dispersive surface-bound states. Each of the fields by itself preserves the original even parity of the

subband dispersion, maintaining the Dirac fermion symmetry. When applied together, their

combined effect is to reverse the dispersion parity to being odd with Ee,k = -Eh,-k and to mix

electron and hole subbands within an energy range equal to the potential drop across the ribbon.

Broken Dirac symmetry suppresses the wave function delocalization and the Zitterbewegung effect.

The Butikker formula for the conductance holds true for the odd k symmetry. This, in turn, causes

the ballistic conductance to oscillate within this region which can be used to design tunable field-

effect transistors. We have also calculated the plasma excitations for single and double graphene

layers in the presence of a circularly polarized electric field. The spectroscopy of these ``dressed"

Dirac fermions using a beam of electrons as a probe will also be reported.

I-Fr-B2 (14:00-14:30)

Vladimir Miransky, Department of Applied Math, University of Western Ontario, Canada

[email protected]

Theory of quantum Hall effect in bilayer graphene

Utilizing the Baym-Kadanoff formalism with the polarization function calculated in the random

phase approximation, the dynamics of the ν=0, ±1, ±2, ±3, ±4 quantum Hall states in bilayer

graphene is analyzed. In particular, in the undoped graphene, corresponding to the state ν =0, two

phases with nonzero energy gap, the ferromagnetic and layer asymmetric ones, are found. The

phase diagram in the plane (Δ0,B), where Δ0 is a top-bottom gates voltage imbalance, is described.

It is shown that the energy gaps in these phases scale linearly, ΔE~10 B [T] K, with magnetic field.

The ground states of the doped states, with ν=±1, ±2, ±3, ±4, are also described. The comparison of

these results with recent experiments in bilayer graphene is presented.


Nanostructures and


40

I-Fr-B3 (14:30-15:00)

Boris Fainberg, G. Li and A. Nitzan, Faculy of Sciences, Holon Institute of Technology, 52

Golomb St., Holon 58102, Israel and School of Chemistry, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978,

Israel

Coherent charge transport through molecular nanojunctions: “Exciton blocking” and

interplay between “exciton” and Coulomb blocking in the wire

We consider exciton effects on current in molecular nanojunctions, using a model comprising a two

two-level sites bridge connecting free-electron reservoirs. Expanding the density operator in the

many-electron eigenstates of the uncoupled sites, we obtain a 16x16 density matrix in the bridge

subspace whose dynamics is governed by Liouville equation that takes into account interactions on

the bridge as well as electron injection and damping to and from the leads. Our consideration is

substantialy simplified by using the pseudospin description based on the symmetry properties of Lie

group SU(2). We study the influence of the bias voltage, the Coulomb repulsion, and the energy-

transfer interactions on the steady-state current and, in particular, focus on the effect of the excitonic

interaction between bridge sites. In case of noninteracting electrons this interaction leads to

reduction in the current at high voltage. In other words, we predict the effect of “exciton” blocking.

The effect of exciton blocking disappears for strong Coulomb repulsion at sites. In the latter case

the exciton type interactions can open new channels for electronic conduction. In particular, in the

case of strong Coulomb repulsion, conduction exists even when the electronic connectivity does not

exist. We also study the interplay between “exciton” and Coulomb blocking and present the results

of the Green‟s-function calculations of the adsorption of organic molecules on noble metal

nanoparticles. The latter elucidates coupling between a molecular bridge and a metallic lead.


Nanostructures and


41

ORAL

PRESENTATION

ABSTRACTS:

Thursday, March 10th


Nanostructures and


42

SESSION B - THURSDAY

OA-Th-B1 (14:00-14:05)

M. Shafiq Ahmed, Faranak Sharifi, Reg Bauld and Giovanni Fanchini, Dept. of Physics &

Astronomy, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

[email protected]

Transparent and Conducting Graphene films for Optoelectronics

Graphene is two-dimensional crystal that consists of one-atom thick sheet of carbon atoms. The

discovery of individual sheets of Graphene and their characterization has led to the 2010 Nobel

Prize in Physics. Graphene has excellent electronic, optical and transport properties. Monolayer

Graphene can be produced by a number of techniques, such as micro mechanical cleavage,

reduction of Graphene oxide and liquid phase exfoliation of graphite in different solutions.

However, most techniques only lead to monolayers up to a few tens of µm in size, while large-area

grapheme thin films may find applications as flexible transparent conductors to be used in nano-

optoelectronics. In this work liquid phase exfoliation of nano-graphite was done in water using

surfactants. Large-area graphene films were subsequently prepared on glass and silicon substrates

by the vacuum filtration method. Films were characterized electrically and optically and have

shown resistivity as low as 175k /□ with 20% transmittance in the visible-near IR range. Films

morphology was characterized by atomic force microscopy and near field optical microscopy. Work

is in progress to improve the conductivity of films while keeping their transparency high.

OA-Th-B2 (14:05-14:10)

Mohammad H. Ansari and Frank K. Wilhelm, Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC), University

of Waterloo, Canada

[email protected]

Critical current noise and junction resonators in Josephson junction from interacting trap

states

We analyze the impact of trap states in the oxide layer of superconducting tunnel junctions on

fluctuations of the Josephson current and thus on the coherence in superconducting quantum

computation devices. We investigate two mechanisms: current blockage from repulsion from

occupied trap states, as well as the noise from electrons hopping across a trap. We extend the

previous studies of non-interacting traps to the case where the traps have on-site electron repulsion.

Remarkably, interactions can reverse the supercurrent across the trap and suppresses the low

frequency critical current noise from superconducting qubits.



Nanostructures and


43

OA-Th-B3 (14:10-14:15)

E.G. Barbagiovanni1, D.J. Lockwood

2, L.V. Goncharova

1, P.J. Simpson

1,

1Department of Physics

and Astronomy, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 3K7, 2National

Research Council Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0R6

[email protected]

Effect of Crystallinity on Quantum Confinement in Si and Ge Nano-Structures

We have studied the effects of quantum confinement (QC) in Si and Ge for 1D, 2D and 3D nano-

structures. Many experimental results for QC which clearly demonstrate modifications to the

electronic structure as a function of nano-structure size have been reported. Experimentally,

modifications to the electronic structure can be measured as a change in the band gap, using optical

spectroscopy. However, the magnitude of this modification due solely to nano-structure size (or

QC) is unclear since other contributions exist, such as stress and interface states. Theoretically,

several models have been applied to these systems with varying degrees of success from an

empirical perspective. Nonetheless, a detailed classification of the effect of materials parameters

and the growth conditions of the nano-structure has not been achieved. Such a classification would

allow for the formulation of a universal description of QC in semiconductors, whereby one could

predict the resulting change in the electronic structure. We have used a relatively simple model of

QC, described by a 'particle-in-a-box' model as a perturbation to the effective mass theory. The

choice in the model was made in order to distinguish contributions that are solely due to the effects

of QC. Both crystalline and amorphous nano-structures have been studied. It was found that the

hole becomes de-localized in the case of amorphous materials, which leads to stronger confinement

effects.


Nanostructures and


44

OA-Th-B4 (14:15-14:20)

Styliani Constas, Department of Chemistry, University of Western Ontario, Canada

[email protected]

Stability of highly charged nanodroplets with respect to proton release.

Charged nanodroplets constitute distinct environment for chemical

processes. The environment strongly affect reaction mechanisms

and rates of the chemical reactions comparing to those in the

solution. Molecular simulation methods provide unique insight in

mechanisms of ion transfer processes in such charged environments

that is difficult to infer using experimental techniques. The

nanodroplets under study contain net charge due to presence of

charged aminoacids or multiply protonated peptides. We study the

effect of the nano-cluster net charge

on the proton transfer mechanism. We

determined that the mechanism of the

proton transfer is connected to the stability of a charged droplet. The

stability of the charged droplet according to the Rayleigh criterion

depends on the droplet surface tension, net charge and volume.

Depending on whether the corresponding droplet is stable or not the

nano-cluster conformation and the proton transfer mechanism may

change. It is found that beyond the Rayleigh limit polyhistidine with

protonated imidazole rings surrounded by water molecules takes

extended conformations. The surrounding solvent molecules form

distinct spiny scructures around the charged macromolecule shown in

the inset figure. The study indicates that in such structured solvent

environment the proton transfer reactions are slower than in the

corresponding bulk solvent surroundings. The finding is couter-intuitive because in a supercharged

systems proton release and break down of the droplet allow the system to become more stable.

However, the water spines prevent sufficient solvation of the proton. The stability of the charged

systems with respect to proton release is important in understanding the conditions and outcomes of

electrospray experiments.



Nanostructures and


45

OA-Th-B5 (14:20-14:25)

Rajat Dey and Jayshri Sabarinathan, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering,

Univeristy of Western Ontario, Canada

[email protected]

Comparison Between Photonic Crystal Based Y-Junction and MMI Power Splitter

Numerous planar PC optical components have been investigated theoretically and experimentally

by several researchers for guiding and routing through bends, branches and waveguides crossings

Recently PC based power splitters have been investigated for their potential applications in

multi/demultiplexers for the optical communication area. We previously proposed a novel idea of

1×4 power splitter based on quasi 2-D PC line defect waveguides (LDWs) integrated with

multimode interference (MMI) block. This paper will present a comparison of this type of PC

splitter with traditional Y-junction based 1×4 power splitter to investigate the losses and low

bandwidth issues faced with designing PC based power splitters.

OA-Th-B6 (14:25-14:30)

Hossein Ismaili and Mark S. Workentin, Department of Chemistry, University of Western Ontario,

Canada

[email protected]

Diazirine photochemistry to prepare gold nanoparticle-based hybrid materials

Photochemical reactions of suitably functionalized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) can be utilized to

chemically modify AuNPs and covalently attach them onto the wide variety of materials under mild

conditions. Diazirine, as an excellent carbene precursor, readily generates the reactive carbene

intermediate by photoinitiated nitrogen extrusion. We describe the design synthesis of

diazirine-modified AuNPs (Diaz-AuNPs) and demonstrate that irradiation of the terminal

diazirine group creates a reactive carbene at the interface of the AuNPs. Photochemically

generated carbenes undergo addition reactions with functional groups on the material

surfaces, leading to formation of gold nanoparticle-based hybrids. Using this approach, we

prepared hybrids such as AuNP-CNT, AuNP-Diamond, AuNP-Graphene, and AuNP-Glass.



Nanostructures and


46

SESSION C - THURSDAY

OA-Th-C1 (16:00-16:05)

Yeongyoon Kim and Russell B. Thompson, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

[email protected]

Testing Classical Nucleation Theory for Nano-Cellular Polymeric Foam

In nano-sized polymeric foam, the bubble size is comparable with the polymer size. Thus, we see

the bubble surface as a curved surface, whereas the bubble surface is a flat surface in CNT

(Classical Nucleation Theory). We found out that the potential barrier of the homogeneous bubble

nucleation in our SCFT(Self Consistent Field Theory) calculation is much smaller than the potential

barrier calculated by using CNT. Whereas in CNT surface tension and volume free energy density

are constant, in our result, surface tension and volume free energy density keeps changing as a

function of radius r. Therefore, we see that the decreasing surface tension and increasing the volume

free energy at smaller bubble makes the potential barrier small. Unlike the CNT, we observed that

the volume fractions in outside bubble deviated from the equilibrium volume fractions more at

smaller bubble. Also, by analyzing the components of surface tension, we observed that the polymer

configurational entropy is increasing and the internal energy is decreasing at smaller bubbles.

Therefore, we see that microscopic origins of the much smaller potential barrier than the potential

barrier in CNT are the increasing polymer configurational entropy and the decreasing internal

energy due to the sharper curvature at smaller bubble of nano-sized polymeric foam.

OA-Th-C2 (16:05-16:10)

Tetyana Levchenko, Christian Kübel, John F. Corrigan and Yining Huang, University of Western

Ontario, Canada

[email protected]

From Molecule to Materials: Crystalline Superlattices of Nanoscopic CdS

Low-dimensional semiconductor structures continue to be the focus of attention due to the great

potential for their application in optics, electronics and biological labelling. To effectively utilize

the size-dependent properties of nanoparticles in group 12-16 systems (metal “M”: Zn, Cd, Hg;

chalcogen “E”: S, Se, Te), strict control of size dispersity is essential. One route to circumvent

polydispersity may lie in the synthesis of nanoclusters, for which well defined crystalline tetrahedral

ME cores are encapsulated and stabilized by a shell of chalcogen based ligands (i.e. SPh−). We are

developing a novel approach for the synthesis of monodisperse CdS nanoclusters. Our experiments

show that a crystalline 3D superlattice of monodisperse 2.3 nm molecular nanoclusters

(characterized using HRTEM and STEM tomography, powder XRD, UV-Vis spectroscopy) can be

prepared from mononuclear precursor (Me4N)2[Cd(SPh)4]. These are the largest ever isolated and

characterized molecular CdS nanoclusters, expanding the boundaries of this area of nanoscience.


Nanostructures and


47

OA-Th-C3 (16:10-16:15)

Xiangbo (Henry) Meng, Ruying Li and Xueliang (Andy) Sun, The University of Western Ontario,

Canada

[email protected]

Atomic Layer Deposition: A New Technique to Synthesize Novel Nanocomposites for

Renewable Clean Energy Conversion and Storage

Nowadays, it is widely recognized that nanostructured materials are providing many potential

solutions to the ever-growing challenges of our modern society. Of various nanosysthesis strategies,

atomic layer deposition (ALD) represents a new tendency with many beneficial factors. In

comparison to traditional methods, ALD is superior in precise control, large-scale uniformity,

excellent conformality, and low growth temperature. In our study, ALD is applied to develop novel

nanostructured composites for renewable clean energy conversion and storage. In addition to the

mechanism of ALD, I will introduce a series of novel nanocomposites synthesized by ALD, such as

F2O3, SnO2, and TiO2 based on graphene or carbon nanotubes. It will be demonstrated that ALD as

a nanosynthesis route exhibits some unique characteristics, and that it can tune not only

morphologies but structural phases of the as-deposited materials as well. In particular, these

synthesized nanocomposites show great potential for renewable energy conversion and storage, and

their performance in lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells will be disclosed.



Nanostructures and


48

OA-Th-C4 (16:15-16:20)

Anil Kumar Mudraboyina and Jayshri Sabarinathan, Department of Electrical and Computer

Engineering, Univeristy of Western Ontario, Canada

[email protected]

Two-Channel Photonic Crystal Wavelength Splitter for Sensor Application

We present a hybrid photonic crystal wavelength splitter for sensor applications. The main idea is to

demonstrate refractive index dependence on wavelength. We simulated thin layer of materials with

varying thickness on top of this device and found that these two PC channels transmitting different

wavelength have different sensitivities to the same material coated on its surface. We found that

channel 1 has 0.223nm/nm sensitivity to change in thickness of material on its surface and it

saturates after 200nm and channel 2 has 0.115nm/nm sensitivity to change in thickness of material

on its surface and it saturates after 200nm. Device response to varying refractive index was also

simulated from 1.35-1.6 and similar phenomena were observed. For a refractive index change of

1.35 channel 1 and 2 show a shift of 11.56nm and 2.19nm shift respectively with channel 1

exhibiting the higher response.

OA-Th-C5 (16:20-16:25)

Ilya G. Ryabinkin and Viktor N. Staroverov, Department of Chemistry, University of Western

Ontario, London, ON, Canada, N6A 5B7

[email protected]

An explicitly correlated method for two electrons in a two-dimensional square box

Two Coulombically interacting electrons constrained to stay on the surface of a two-dimensional

square box are studied by the full diagonalization method. The Hamiltonian is written in the center-

of-mass and relative coordinates. The wave function is expanded in a series of coordinate products

that are multiplied by the zeroth and the first powers of r12. This expansion is shown to be

equivalent to a series that contains higher powers of r12. We calculated explicitly correlated wave

functions and energies for the lowest singlet electronic state for boxes with a side of 1, 5, 20, and 50

bohrs. The energy estimates are converged up to 16 decimals compared to 3-4 decimal places that

can be obtained with the conventional (without r12) approach.



Nanostructures and


49

OA-Th-C6 (16:25-16:30)

Daryoush Shiri1, Jie Liu

2, S. S. Saini

1, C. R. (Selva) Selvakumar

1 and M. P. (Anant) Anantram

2,

1Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada,

2Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

[email protected]

First Principle Study of Photoluminescence in Silicon Nanowires

We will present a brief review of experimental and theoretical evidences of visible PL from narrow

silicon nanowires followed by our recent calculations. Using ab-initio Density Functional Theory

within SIESTA® package and semi-empirical sp3d5s* Tight Binding method we have calculated

the radiative life time in Silicon nanowires (SiNW). It is observed that the radiative life is 10nsec,

100nsec, 1usec, 10 µsec and 100usec for 0.7nm, 1.7nm, 2.3nm, 3.1nm and 4nm [110] SiNWs,

respectively. The life time decrease with decreasing the diameter of SiNW is consistent with the

previous theoretical works and PL experiments on silicon nano-pillars within porous media. We

observed a blue shift in spontaneous emission spectrum of nanowires with diameter decrease. This

is in agreement with recent experimental PL measurements of narrow SiNWs. Strong anisotropy in

the calculated emission and absorption spectrum of nanowires confirms the dependency on the

photon polarization in photocurrents of recent nanowire-based photodetectors.


Nanostructures and


50

OA-Th-C7 (16:30-16:35)

Shuhui Sun1, Gaixia Zhang

1, Ruying Li

1, Mei Cai

2 and Andy X. Sun

1,

1Department of Mechanical

and Materials Engineering, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5B9 Canada, 2General Motors R&D Center, Warren, MI 48090-9055, USA

[email protected] (S. Sun) and [email protected] (X. Sun)

Platinum Nanowire-based Highly Active and Durable Electrocatalyst for PEM Fuel Cells

The design of highly active and stable Pt electrocatalysts is a key for accelerating the

commercialization of PEM fuel cells. Interestingly, it has been established that the catalytic

reactivity and durability of Pt highly depends on their morphology, and therefore the synthesis of Pt

with specific nanostructures has become an area of considerable interest. Here, we report a new

approach to address both activity and durability challenges of PEM fuel cells by using one-

dimensional (1D) Pt nanowires (4 nm in diameter) as electrocatalyst. This new type of Pt nanowire

electrocatalyst exhibit 3-times better specific activity and 5-folds better durability than the state of

the art commercial catalyst made of Pt nanoparticles [1-3]

. More interestingly, the diameter of Pt

nanowires could be further decreased down to 2.5 nm, which is very important for further

enhancing the fuel cell performance [4]

. In addition, the Pt nanowires could be grown on Sn@CNT

nanocable 3D electrode, which exhibited enhanced electrocatalytic performance in ORR, methanol

oxidation, and CO tolerance [5]

. [1] S. H. Sun, D. Q. Yang, D. Villers, G. X. Zhang, E. Sacher, J. P. Dodelet, Adv. Mater. 20 (2008) 571.

[2] S. H. Sun, F. Jaouen, J. P. Dodelet, Adv. Mater. 20 (2008) 3900.

[3] S. H. Sun, G. X. Zhang, D. S. Geng, Y. G. Chen, R. Y. Li, M. Cai, X. L. Sun, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 50 (2011)

422. (VIP+Cover page)

[4] S. H. Sun, G. X. Zhang, Y. Zhong, H. Liu, R. Y. Li, X. R. Zhou, X. L. Sun, Chem. Commun. 45 (2009) 7048.

[5] S. H. Sun, G. X. Zhang, D. S. Geng, Y. G. Chen, R. Y. Li, M. Cai, M. Banis, X. L. Sun, Chemistry-A European

Journal. 16 (2010) 829. (Inside Cover)

OA-Th-C8 (16:35-16:40)

Deepak Tripathi, Lalita Bhasin, R. Uma and V. K. Tripathi, Center for Energy Studies, Indian

Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi-110016, India

[email protected]

Generation of Terahertz radiation by a Gaussian laser beam in a plasma

The nonlinear interaction of amplitude modulated laser beams with a cylindrical plasma column and

generation of terahertz radiation are studied. A two dimensional Gaussian laser beam propagating

through the plasma exerts a ponderomotive force on electrons, imparting them a resonant transverse

velocity at the modulation frequency, , when 2p, where p is the plasma frequency of the

column The current produces terahertz radiation. In the case of a cylindrically symmetric Gaussian

laser beam the electron response to ponderomotive force misses the resonance, yet the phase

matching introduced by a density ripple could efficiently produce terahertz radiation.



Nanostructures and


51

OA-Th-C9 (16:40-16:45)

Nasrin Farhangi, Yaocihuatl Medina-González and Paul A. Charpentier, Department of Chemical

and Biochemical Engineering, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B9

[email protected]

TiO2 nanoparticles on the surface of graphene sheets by simple sonication method for

photovoltaic applications

Recently, several reports have examined various carbon materials for enhancing the properties of

TiO2 due to their small band gap which can help to improve the optical properties of TiO2.

Moreover, most of the carbon materials have high mechanical and chemical stability, along with

high surface area. When using these mesoporous carbonaceous materials with small band gap, TiO2

can be dispersed on their surface while creating active sites. After interfacing of the materials,

electrons of TiO2 and the carbonaceous materials flow between one another, helping to align the

Fermi energy levels. 8Carbonaceous materials can also help stabilize the charge separation by

trapping the electrons transferred from TiO2, thereby hindering charge recombination.

In this work, Functionalized Graphene Sheets (FGSs) and TiO2 (anatase) hybrid composites

containing various FGSs/TiO2 ratios were synthesized via a facile sonication assisted method using

ethanol as a green solvent. The prepared nanocomposites were characterized by a variety of

physico- chemical techniques, SEM and TEM images showed uniform dispersion of TiO2

nanoparticles on the graphene sheets while FTIR and XPS confirmed coordination bonding between

TiO2 and -COOH groups on the surface of the graphene sheets. In Raman spectroscopy, D/G ratio

increased significantly indicating high degree of functionalization of graphene sheets with TiO2

nanoparticles. Addition of FGSs resulted in decreasing of the band gap of nanocomposites and

improving their optical properties. Electron- hole recombination of TiO2 was reduced compared to

TiO2 itself. Improvement in the optical properties of the synthesized composites compared to TiO2

was confirmed by photocurrent measurements. The optimal ratio of FGSs/TiO2 was found to be

1:5; efficiency of the prepared photovoltaic cell increased 18 times compared to that of commercial

TiO2.


Nanostructures and


52

OA-Th-C10 (16:45-16:50)

Chandra Sekhar Manda, Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Western

Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 3K7

[email protected]

Growth and characterization of magneto-optical materials for integrated optical isolator

applications

The miniaturization of device dimensions is essential to the development of a new generation of

ultra-comprehensive integrated circuits (ICs) that are based on iron garnet materials. Cerium and

Bismuth substituted iron garnets are most promising magneto-optical materials because of their

excellent magnetic and optical properties that can be achieved by appropriate chemical

substitutions. In this talk, it will be elaborated on Magneto-optical (MO) properties of co substituted

Ce2.2Bi0.8Fe5O12 (CeBiIG) thin films produced on Gd3Ga5O12 (GGG-111) substrates by Pulsed

Laser Deposition (PLD). The influences of Faraday rotation on the magneto-optical properties of a

new compound is studied and whose Faraday rotation 0.55-0.75 deg/μm has been proved to be the

highest ever reported in the class of iron garnet materials.

OA-Th-C11 (16:50-16:55)

Pradeep Kulkarni, Rajmal Jain and Malini Aggrawal, Department of Physics, Z.B.Patil College,

North Maharashtra University, Jalgoan, India

[email protected]

Relationship between CME dynamics and solar flare plasma

The relationship between the velocity of CMEs and the plasma temperature of the associated X-ray

solar flares is investigated. The velocity of CMEs increases with plasma temperature (R=0.82) and

photon index below the break energy (R=0.60) of X-ray flares. The heating of the coronal plasma

appears to be significant with respect to the kinetics of a CME from the reconnection region where

the flares also occurs. We process of conversion of the magnetic field energy of the active region to

heating/accelerating the coronal plasma in the reconnected loops. Results show that a flare and the

associated CME are two components of one energy release system, perhaps, magnetic field free

energy.


Nanostructures and


53

OA-Th-C12 (16:55-17:00)

Pavlo Pyatkovskiy, Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Western Ontario, Canada

[email protected]

Polarization function of monolayer graphene in a magnetic field

We present an exact analytic result for the one loop dynamical polarization function of monolayer

graphene in the case of finite external magnetic field, chemical potential, temperature, band gap,

and width of Landau levels. The most general expression is given in terms of digamma functions

and generalized Laguerre polynomials, and has the form of double sum over Landau levels. We

consider some important limits of this expression and discuss the static screening the Coulomb

potential in the presence of magnetic field.


Nanostructures and


54

ORAL

PRESENTATION

ABSTRACTS:

Friday, March 11th


Nanostructures and


55

SESSION B - FRIDAY

OA-Fr-B1 (13:30-13:35)

Sepideh Rezvani, Department of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering, The University of Western

Ontario, Canada

[email protected]

A Microfluidics approach to the synthesis of novel polymeric microspheres reinforced with n-

TiO2

Polymethymethacrylate (PMMA) is a brittle polymer used in both commercial dental and bone

cement applications. Its poor mechanical properties leads to implant failures and revisions which is

a tremendous current problem as we live longer and more active lives. In this work, nanostructured

titanium dioxide (TiO2) is examined as a PMMA filler for enhancing mechanical properties. A

variety of bifunctional molecules are examined for coordination to the TiO2 through a –COOH

functionality with a vinyl functional group used for subsequent „grafting from‟ polymerization from

the TiO2 surface. TGA and water/MMA bilayer experiments are examined to investigate the

coordination reaction and stability of the nanostructures in MMA monomer.

To provide uniform polymer microspheres containing well dispersed nano TiO2 for integration into

the bone cements, a microfluidics approach is examined. A T-junction microfluidics reactor has

been designed which can control the size of microspheres by adjusting the reactor pressure, flow

rate of inlets, as well as the geometry of the micro-channels. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD)

model is solved for the theoretical and experimental comparison of the polymerization process. This

approach offers a potentially lower cost, adjustable process compared to other more traditional

polymerization approaches.


Nanostructures and


56

OA-Fr-B2 (13:35-13:40)

Mehrnaz Salarian and Paul A. Charpentier, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering,

University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada

[email protected]

Synthesis of TiO2 nanofiber/PPF composites for biomaterial application

The aim of this study is to develop a biodegradable TiO2 nanofiber/PPF composite which may be

suitable for reinforcement of PPF-based bone cements. Poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF) is found a

promising biodegradable material that has recently been examined for bone tissue engineering.

Nanostructured fillers such as TiO2 nanofibers play an important role in composite reinforcement.

In this work, PPF was synthesized following a two-step procedure, beginning with diethyl fumarate

and propylene glycol, and involving bis(hydroxypropyl) fumarate as an intermediate. Fourier

transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) were applied to

study the functional groups and chemical structure of the polymer. TiO2 nanofibers were

synthesized by a direct sol-gel process using supercritical CO2 as an organic solvent. The

morphology and size of the fibers were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We expect

to achieve a significant increase in fracture toughness (KIC), flexural strength (FS), and flexural

modulus (FM), compared to the previously reported bone cements. The in vitro biocompatibility of

the cement reinforced with TiO2 nanofibers is also investigated using primary osteoblasts obtained

from rat calvarias.


Nanostructures and


57

OA-Fr-B3 (13:40-13:45)

B.S. Bhadoria1, Rama Shankar Yadav

1 and Sarita Singh

2,

1Dept. of Physics, Bundelkhand

University, Kanpur Road, Jhansi (UP) India 284128, 2Dept. of Electronics and Communication,

MITS, Gole Ka Mandir, Gwalior (M.P.) India

[email protected]

Variation of Electronic States of Quantum Dot Structures

Semiconductor quantum dots are the center of research attention due to their unique electrical and

optical properties. The quantum dots are the 3D confinement nanostructure having the superior

characters of atom like density of states, large binding energy and enhanced oscillator strength. The

quantum dot shape and size exert significant on the electronic structure. In this paper, two type

geometry of quantum dot CUBOID and pyramidal are taken and discretisation of Schrödinger wave

equation is used to represent the ground state energy of electron and hole. It shows the variation of

electronic states of quantum dot due to base length, height, volume and aspect ratio. It represents

that energy has monotonic increasing nature on decreasing the quantum dot size and the energy

density is three times longer for base (height) variation than volume variation. It is also found that

the variation in aspect ratio affect the monotonic energy trends. This paper also represents the

amount of blue shift per unit variation. Further it compares the variation in electronic states due to

its shape Cuboid and Pyramidal. It represent that the pyramidal quantum dot electronic states

(Narrow tip) are higher energetic in compare to Cuboid quantum dot (broad tip). Quantum dots are

the material for the advance research and this study will provide the better path to choose the

material for device involving the optical tunable property



Nanostructures and


58

OA-Fr-B4 (13:45-13:50)

S. Arghavan and A. V. Singh, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, The

University of Western Ontario, London ON, Canada N6A 5B9

Free Vibration of Single Layer Graphene Sheets

Graphene, which is a flat layer of carbon atoms tightly packed into a 2D array of honeycomb-like

cells, is an important allotrope of carbon and also termed by many researchers as the mother of all

carbon based nano-structures. This stand alone crystal plane can be prepared by cleavage from the

most strongly layered graphitic material. It can be wrapped up into fullerenes, rolled into nanotubes

and stacked up to produce 3D graphite. Many different applications of graphene sheets in nano

electro mechanical systems have been reported in the literature owing to their superior electro-

mechanical properties. Studies are being done on on-going basis via advanced experimental and

mathematical techniques for the enhancements and better understanding of the mechanical

properties of graphene sheets. In this process different methods are suggested for simulating the

mechanical behavior of their structure. This paper is concerned with the out-of-plane and in-plane

vibrational behaviors of graphene sheets by the lattice structure and continuum plate theories. In the

lattice structure theory, graphene sheet is modeled as a plane horizontal grid of carbon atoms.

Carbon atoms are considered as the nodal points and each node carries the mass of the carbon atom

and has six degrees of freedom. The covalent bond between two adjacent carbon atoms is treated as

an extremely stiff frame element with all three axial, bending and torsional stiffness components.

Rectangular graphene sheet with all edges either simply supported or clamped are studied and will

be presented. The classical plate theory is very well established and understood by researchers for

the static and vibration analyses. Closed form solutions are readily available for rectangular plates,

but they require the values of the Young‟s modulus, Poisson‟s ratio and the thickness of the plate.

To take advantage of the above said closed form solutions, the equivalent Young‟s moduli for the

out-of-plane and in-plane deformation modes are obtained by performing static analysis on the

lattice structure model of the graphene sheet the Poisson‟s ratio of 0.16 and the thickness of 0.34 Å.

The equivalent Young‟s moduli are found to be approximately 0.112 TPa for the bending and in the

range of 1.03-1.04 TPa for the in-plane condition. The natural frequencies of the rectangular

graphene sheet with different aspect ratios are calculated from the two methods and discussed. As

the size of the graphene sheet increases, the agreement between the results from the two methods

improves drastically at all modes of vibration. The bending frequencies are one tenth in value of the

in-plane modes. The lattice structure models can easily become too large to handle on a digital

computer for reasonable size graphene sheets. This study suggests that continuum plate theory can

be used conveniently in such cases for reasonably accurate results.


Nanostructures and


59

OA-Fr-B5 (13:50-13:55)

Rakesh Dhote, Roderick Melnik and Jean Zu, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering Department,

University of Toronto, Canada

[email protected]

Properties of Finite Length Shape Memory Alloy Nanowires and Dynamic Thermo-

Mechanical Coupling

In the last decade there has been an increasing interest in modeling the microstructures and

mechanical properties of shape memory alloy (SMA) nanostructures for their potential applications

in MEMS and NEMS technologies. The phase field model developed in papers of Lookman and

Saxena et al., Levitas et al., Bouville et al. have been limited to the mechanical physics under the

assumption of athermal phase transformations, although the SMAs have coupled thermo-

mechanical properties. In this paper, the dynamics of martensitic transformations in shape memory

alloy (SMA) finite nanostructures is studied by using the phase field model with the Ginzburg-

Landau free energy. The main aim of this paper is to develop a model that couples the thermal

physics and the mechanical dynamics and to study the influence of such coupling on the SMA

properties in nanostructures. We observed the significant impact of the coupled thermo-mechanical

physics on the stress-strain properties in FePd alloy nanowires.


Nanostructures and


60

CONTRIBUTED

ABSTRACTS


Nanostructures and


61

A-1

Nafis Ahmad, V. K. Tripathi, M. Rafat and Mudassir M. Husain, Mewat Engineering College

(Wakf)

[email protected]

Parametric coupling of low frequency whistler to Alfven wave in a plasma

The parametric decay of a large amplitude electromagnetic wave in the ion cyclotron range of

frequency into a compressional Alfven wave and an electromagnetic sideband wave in a magnetized

plasma is investigated. The pump wave propagates in the direction of ambient magnetic field

whereas the decay waves propagate at oblique angles. When the pump wave is left circularly

polarized the decay is not permitted kinematically as the momentum of pump photon always

exceeds the sum of momenta of the decay wave photons. For the right circularly polarized whistler

mode pump the decay is permitted with sideband nearly right circularly polarized. The sideband and

the pump exert pondermotive force on ions and electrons that drive the Alfven wave. The frequency

and growth rate of the Alfven wave increase with the normalized pump frequency. The threshold

power density, determined by the collisional damping rates of the decay waves is rather modest.

A-2

P.N. Gupta and G.K. Prajapati, Department of Physics, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi (UP),

India

[email protected]

Transport properties of gel polymer electrolytes dispersed with silica nanoparticles

Nanocomposite polymer electrolyte (NCPE) materials are receiving special attention owing to their

potential applications in advance ionic devices such as high performance solid state batteries, fuel

cell, supercapacitors, electrochemical sensors, electrochromic display devices etc. Polymer

electrolytes are the materials of significant importance as an excellent substitute of liquid

electrolytes. In order to get nanocomposite in thin film form different amount of silica nanoparticles

(size ~ 14 nm) were dispersed in the PVA based gel polymer electrolyte. Complex impedance

studies were carried out to determine the electrical conductivity using LCR Hi TESTER in the

frequency range 42 Hz to 5 MHz Temperature dependent conductivity of gel polymer electrolyte

dispersed with silica nanoparticles has been observed. Optimum room temperature conductivity of

nanocomposite film having substantially good mechanical strength has been achieved when a

particular amount of SiO2 nanoparticles are dispersed in the gel electrolyte. Variation of dielectric

constant, dielectric loss and tangent loss with frequency and temperature were studied with the aid

of impedance spectroscopy data.


Nanostructures and


62

A-3

Kier von Konigslow, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo, Canada

[email protected]

Self-Assembly of Isotropic Nanoparticles

Our research concerns the self-assembly of isotropic nanoparticles. In this model, the particles

experience long-range repulsion and short-range attraction. We are treating these particles as fluid

while using a second type of particle to establish an excluded volume, thereby making the system

incompressible. It is our aim to use self-consistent field theory to examine the morphology of this

system. Having lightly probed this system in one dimension, further analysis is planned to extend

the model to three dimensions.

A-4

Updesh Verma and Ashok Kumar Sharma, Center for Energy Studies, Indian Institute of

Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India/G.D.C. Bilaspur, Rampur, Uttar Pradesh.

[email protected]

Laser frequency upshift and self-defocusing under avalanche breakdown of air A theoretical model of avalanche breakdown of air by a Gaussian laser beam and frequency upshift

is developed. The laser beam, below the threshold for tunnel ionization, heats the seed electrons to

high energy and initiates avalanche ionization of the air. The ensuing plasma density profile that has

maximum on axis and falls off radially causes refraction divergence of the beam. The temporal

evolution of plasma density causes self-phase modulation of the laser, causing frequency

broadening and spectral emission in the visible.

A-5

Rohtash Singh and V. K. Tripathi, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi,

India-110016

[email protected]

Ponderomotive acceleration of electrons by a self-focused laser pulse

Ponderomotive acceleration of electrons by a short laser pulse undergoing relativistic self focusing

in a plasma is investigated. The saturation in nonlinear plasma permittivity causes periodic self

focusing of the laser. The periodicity lengths are different for different axial segments of the pulse.

As a result pulse shape is distorted. An electron initially on the laser axis and at the front of the self

focusing pulse gains energy from the pulse until it is run over by the pulse peak. By the time

electron reaches to the tail, if pulse begins diverging, the deceleration of the electron is slower and

the electron is left with net energy gain. The electrons slightly off the laser axis see a radial

ponderomotive force too. Initially when they are accelerated by the pulse front the acceleration is

strong as they are closer to axis. When they see the tail of the pulse (after being run by the pulse)

they are farther from the axis and the retardation ponderomotive force is weaker.


Nanostructures and


63

A-6

Aditya Maheshwari1, Aditya K. Singh

1, Devendra Kumar

1, Om Parkash

1 and S. B. Rai

2,

1Department of Ceramic Engineering, Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University,,

Varanasi(India)- 221005., 2Department of Physics, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi (India)-

221005

[email protected]

Effect of Crystallization and Structure on luminescent properties of Er3+

/Yb3+

doped

Borosilicate Glass Ceramic System

Upconversion phenomenon in various glass ceramics is reported by doping of different rare earth

materials. In present investigation, rare earth ions Er3+

and Yb3+

were doped in SrO.TiO2

borosilicate glass ceramic to study the effect of the crystallization and structure on their

upconversion luminescence characteristics. Glass of suitable composition was prepared by melt

quench method (melting temp. 11500C). Phase and structure of glass ceramics and thereby

properties depend on the crystallization treatment. Therefore, various glass ceramic samples were

prepared by the controlled heat treatment in the temperature range 500 – 10000C. From X-ray

diffraction (XRD) study it is observed that no detectable crystalline phases formed in samples

treated till 8000C and well defined XRD peaks were observed in sample treated at 900

0C. XRD

analysis shows that two phases; TiO2 and SrTiO3 are present in the glass ceramic. Broader peaks of

SrTiO3 phase indicate that it is nano-crystalline. Because of approximately similar ionic radii of rare

earth ions Er3+

and Yb3+

and Sr2+

, SrTiO3 serve as host for Er3+

and Yb3+

ions. Thus, an optically

active Er3+

/ Yb3+

doped nano crystalline SrTiO3 glass ceramic material was prepared. At 9000C

heat treatment the glass became fully opaque and the opacity again decreased after 9000C.

Microstructural observation shows that the nucleation and growth is uniform all over in bulk. We

investigated the upconversion phenomenon in glass and differently crystallized glass ceramic

samples, by exciting it with 976nm diode laser (0.5 to 2mw Power). Yb3+

ion has large absorption

cross section for 976nm laser radiation; hence it absorbs the energy and transfers it to the Er3+

ion.

Green emissions occurred by the radiative transitions between 4S3/2 ,

2H11/2 and the ground level

4I15/2

of Er3+

ion i.e. 4S3/2→

4I15/2 and

2H11/2→

4I15/2 where as red emissions occurred by the radiative

transition between 4F9/2 and ground level

4I15/2 of Er

3+ ion i.e.

4F9/2→

4I15/2 . The emission intensities

of red and green emission in glass ceramic samples heat treated till 7000C are not much different

from that of the glass, but thereafter the emission intensity increased. But as the nano crystalline

structure is formed in the glass ceramic by crystallising it at 9000C, the emission intensity increased

drastically and becomes many more times greater than that of glass. Results show that 2photon and

3photon processes are responsible for upconversion emission. Energy Transfer (ET) and Excited

State Absorption (ESA) are the possible mechanisms for the upconversion.


Nanostructures and


64

A-7

Aditya Maheshwari1, Devendra Kumar

1, S. B. Rai

2 and Om Parkash

1, Department of Ceramic

Engineering, Institute of Technology, 2Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Banaras Hindu

University, Varanasi (India)

[email protected]

Luminescence and Electrical Behaviour of Nano-Crystalline Er3+

/ Yb3+

Doped SrO.TiO2

Borosilicate Glass Ceramic

In this paper we would like to present the results of investigation on luminescence and electrical

behaviour of nano-crystalline Er3+

/ Yb3+

doped SrO.TiO2 borosilicate glass ceramic and study their

multifunctional behaviour. Er3+

/Yb3+

doped SrO.TiO2 borosilicate glass was prepared by melt

quench method. Glass was transparent with light-wine colour. Glass ceramic was prepared from

glass by controlled heat treatment at 9550C based on DTA (Differential thermal analysis) results.

Glass ceramic was fully opaque with brownish-cream colour. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD)

shows that two phases, Sr3Ti2O7 and Ti10O19, are present in the glass ceramic sample. X-ray line

broadening shows that particle size of Sr3Ti2O7 is smaller than that of Ti10O19. It is confirmed by

Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) micrographs that Sr3Ti2O7 nano particles (size < 10nm) are

distributed homogeneously. Luminescence properties of both glass and glass ceramic were studied

by exciting it with 976nm laser. In nano crystalline glass ceramic, the intensity of the green

emission is found to be increased ~50times as it is increased ~10times for red emission than that of

glass. Possible Energy Transfer (ET) and Excited State Absorption (ESA) mechanisms, responsible

for upconversion were studied through power log dependence of UC emission. It is observed

experimentally that only 2photon processes are responsible for red emission while 3photon

processes (at low laser power) as well as 2photon processes (at high laser power) are responsible for

green emission in glass ceramic. This difference in the photon processes with the laser pumping

power is studied in detail with the help of theoretical model. Er3+

/Yb3+

ions will substitute Sr2+

ions in Sr3Ti2O7 crystalline phase in the glass ceramics because of their approximately similar ionic

radii and will change their electrical characteristics. Electrical behaviour of the glass ceramics have

been analysed with impedance and modulus spectroscopy and correlation between optical and

electrical behaviour of the glass ceramic samples are being studied.

SEM micrograph of etched surface of glass ceramic sample



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V. P. Kisel, Inst. of Solid State Physics, 142432 Chernogolovka, Moscow, Russia

[email protected]

Classical Deformation Explains the Properties of Solid/Fluid He

P.L Kapitza strictly confirmed the absolute principal role of slit hard walls (the so-called con-

finement effect) for the superfluid flow (and extremely high thermal conductivity, TC) in nume-

rous experiments on 4HeII phase [1a]. Then Landau referred to the same effect in water [1b]. Since

that times attention was paid to the same properties of matter under work-hardening (WH), in

micro- scale geometries [2-4, etc.]. Confinement of matter flow changes its structural, hydro-

dynamical (the viscosity η(300K) of glycerin is 104 times smaller in nanoporous silica gel than in its

bulk counterpart [4]), ordering, thermal, chemical, diffusion, crystallization, condensation

properties, phase transitions (PTs), etc. [2-3]. For example, supercooling of liquids [2], melts [5],

the identical thermo-mechanical effect in water [2] and liquid He, where two phase states (water

and ice, liquid He and HeII) differ in their density and rigidity-WH; the work [6] confirms the close

relationship between microhardness and TC. The same WH effects have been discovered for PTs, in

crystals, glasses, liquids, gels, biological tissues (BT), polymers, plasma, gases, Bose-Ein-stein

condensates (BEC), etc. under different tests, where the WH- local rigidity was due to high density

ρd of dislocation-like defects, lines, cells, etc.[7-8] and the η was determined by the reversed value

of WH coefficient θ=dτ/dε [7]. This universal effect determines cancer cells development in BT,

superconductivity of metals and ceramics and supersolidity in He to be highly depen-dent on WH-

to start with increasing local Young modulus of matter and then even its decrease due to cross-slip

dislocation-like defects in smaller pore-slit sizes, at higher loading rates and lower temperatures,

impurity contamination and state in the matter, irradiation and pressure, higher ρd, aging in BT [7-

8], etc. [3,4,7-8]. The identical conditions are present in the so-called superfluidity and supersolidity

of 4He and BEC, cancer cells, superconductors, etc. and determine their domed dependences on

interior and external actions. The energy spectrum for thermal excitations in liquid 4He-II, where

the energy is plotted as a function of mo-mentum (Tλ >T>T=1.1K), designates the atomic-scaled

drag of He atom to move in the su-perfluid 4He-II as a function of its displacement under external

slow neutron particle. This defo-rmation upper yield point (before the so-called “roton-hollow” part

of the curve) is typical for many WH stress-strain curves in comparison with softening of the

smooth and lower flow stress curves at higher temperatures (liquid 4He at 4.2K). Strict analysis of

the data on crystallization waves in solid He, the above data, the key role of deformation

localization in the pairing of electrons at low temperatures [8] and the scaling of flow and fracture

stresses in crystals from atomic to global scale lengths from solid helium up to diamond and hard

ceramics, metallic glasses, etc. confirm the identical mechanisms of wave plastic deformation

at PTs. 1. P.L. Kapitza. J.Exp.Theor. Phys. 1941, v. 11, No 1, p. 1 (a).L.D. Landau. Ibid, No 6, p.592(b).

2. Ya.B. Gorelik, V.S. Kolunin. Priroda 2001 (Nature, Moscow), No 10, p. 7.

3. N.I. Red‟kina, H.S. Khodakov. Ross. Khim. J. 2002, v. 46, No 3, p. 39.

4. A. Han, W. Lu, V. Punyamurtula et al. J. Appl. Phys. 2008, v. 104, p. 124908.

5. T.U. Schűlli, R. Daudin, G. Renaud et.al. Nature, 2010, v. 464, No 7292, p. 1174.

6. V. P. Zhuze, T.A. Kontorova. Zhurn. Tekhn. Fiz., 1958, v. 28, pp 1727

7. V.P. Kisel. J. Phys. (Paris). 1985, v. 46, Suppl. No 12, p. C10-529.


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J. Richmond, J. Flannery and M. R. Singh, Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University

of Western Ontario, London, Canada N6A 3K7

[email protected]

The Study of Quantum Optics and Quantum Tunneling in DNA and DNA Nanowires

Recently there has been considerable interest in studying the optical and transport properties of

DNA nanowires [1]. We study the mechanism of photon absorption and electron transport in these

structures, which are fabricated by embedding DNA into a dielectric material. The dielectric

material is chosen so that its dielectric constant is smaller than that of DNA. In this geometry,

photons are localized within the DNA. The dielectric material is also taken as an insulator so that

electron conduction occurs within the DNA molecule only. The study of the quantum optics in

DNA system is called nano-biopolaritonics. The photonic bound states in the nanowire are

calculated using the transfer matrix method, and electron conduction within the nanowire is

formulated using the electron tunneling mechanism. The nanowire is doped with an ensemble of

quantum dots. These quantum dots are interacting with the photonic bound states in the nanowire. It

is found that due to the strong coupling between quantum dots and bound photons, the absorption

peak splits in two peaks. The charge transport in a DNA wire due to variable range hopping has also

been calculated.

1. M. R. Singh, Proc. of XIX Int. Materials Research Congress, eds. L. Zhang et al. (2010) pages 13


Nanostructures and


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A. Hatef, D. Schindel, J. D. Cox and M. R. Singh, Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of

Western Ontario, London, Canada

[email protected]

Photonic Switching in Quantum Dots Doped in Nano-Waveguides, Nano-Fibers and Metallic Photonic

Crystals.

In this work we study one- and two-photon absorption in photonic quantum wells, quantum wires

doped with an ensemble of quantum dots. The photonic quantum well and wire are formed by

embedding a photonic crystal into a dielectric background material. These structures confine

photons in one or two dimensions, and modify the photonic density of states within the well or wire.

By changing the photonic density of states, we can control the optical properties of the doped

quantum dots. It is considered that a probe laser field is applied to the system, which monitors one-

and two-photon transmission and absorption processes in the quantum dots. A separate control laser

field is applied to manipulate the absorption process. We consider that the quantum dots are

interacting with confined photons via the electron-bound photon interaction, and are also interacting

with one another via the dipole-dipole interaction. Transmission and absorption coefficients have

been calculated for one- and two-photon processes using the density matrix method. It is found that

the system can be switched from the transparent state to the absorbing state due to the strong

electron-photon interaction.

We have also studied these effects in metallic photonic crystals, which are more reflective than

those made of dielectric or semiconductor materials over a broader range of frequencies. We found

that a static magnetic field can greatly change the dielectric response of a free electron in the metal.

In our calculation we also considered the effect of quantum states energy shift due to the applied

magnetic field.


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Documents

Nanostructures and Condensed Matter Theoryncmt2011.uwo.ca/pdf/NCMT_program_March5b.pdf · London, Ontario, Canada ncmt2011.uwo.ca. International Conference on Frontier Topics in Nanostructures