The proposed project concerns the study of magnetoplasmonic systems, that is nanostructures exhibiting both magneto-optic (MO) properties and surface plasmon resonances (SPRs). Particularly, localized SPRs appearing in magnetic nanostructures will be studied using local probe microscopy techniques. The typical magnetoplasmonic nanostructure is a Noble-Metal/Ferromagnetic-Metal/Noble-Metal trilayer. They can be fabricated either as continuous thin films that are subsequently patterned using lithography and etching, or by lithography, evaporation and lift-off. Nanostructure arrays will be fabricated in various compositions, shapes, separations and symmetries (in particular, colloidal lithography will be used to obtain disordered arrays, whereas e-beam lithography will be used to prepare ordered ones). First, their collective optical and MO behavior will be characterized using far-field measurements. Afterwards, the local electromagnetic near-field distribution at single objects will be imaged using Scanning Near-field Optical Microscopy (SNOM). The local measurements will be correlated to the optical and MO collective measurements. Both optical-fiber SNOM and apertureles SNOM (aSNOM) measurements will be performed. Metal-coated Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) tips will be used for aSNOM. The interest is in performing aSNOM using ferromagnetic-metal-coated AFM tips, thus allowing for Magnetic Force Microscopy (MFM) measurements to be performed simultaneously with SNOM. The illuminated light will excite surface plasmons, and the magnetic component of their electromagnetic field distribution will be imaged using MFM. Magnetoplasmonics research has been pioneered at the host group, and the proposed project is a natural continuation of the so far host activity. Magnetoplasmonics allow for the development of active plasmonic devices (their properties can be tuned with a magnetic field), with applications in photonic nanocircuits and advanced biosensors.

The core concept of the ThermoMag project revolves around developing and delivering new energy-harvesting thermoelectric materials and proof-of-concept modules, based on nanostructured bulk Mg2Si solid solutions. This class of TE material would have the following attractive characteristics: (i) ZT value >1.5 for both n-type and p-type doped material, (ii) operational in the temperature range 300-550ºC, (iii) very low density of 2 g/cm3, especially suitable for transportation applications, (iv) high melting point of >1000ºC, and good thermal stability up to 600ºC, (v) good oxidation and corrosion resistance and mechanical strength, (vi) isotropic thermoelectric properties, (vii) non-toxicity of elements, (viii) widely-available pure materials with very large EU supply chains and (ix) low raw material cost <15 Euros/kg, combined with low manufacturing costs. A number of methods will be looked at to achieve 3D bulk nanocrystalline Mg2Si including low-cost combustion synthesis, mechanical alloying and high-temperature solid-state synthesis in inert crucibles. Various ball milling approaches will be used to produce doped Mg2Si nanoparticle constituents that can then be compressed via rapid spark plasma sintering or hot pressing in vacuum. 3D nanocomposite material will also be produced with the addition or in-situ production of inert nanoparticles, as well as thin films using multilayer approaches. Doping using various elements will be predicted by ab-initio density-functional theory modelling. These methods will lead to the safe production of nanostructured n- and p-type legs for further thermoelectric and materials testing. In order to prove the concept works, demonstrator modules will be assembled that integrate the new energy-harvesting nanostructured material. Such modules have widespread applications in automotive, aerospace and manufacturing sectors, where waste heat can be usefully recovered, with clear environmental benefits.

The aim of the present project is to explore different synthesis strategies to obtain silicon nanocrystals and carbon nanodots with luminescent properties as alternative to conventional fluorescent biomarkers or other light-emitting semiconductor nanoparticles containing heavy metals known as quantum dots. Nanostructured silicon can provide appealing properties such as size and wavelength-dependent luminescence emission in the red/near infrared window, resistance to photobleaching, and robust surface chemistry for grafting of bio-molecules without incurring the burden of intrinsic toxicity or elemental scarcity of quantum dots. Carbon-based nanostructures with fluorescent properties remain relatively unexplored but similar behaviour and properties can be envisaged. The production of silicon nanocrystals will be approached by means of two different methods: i) thermal processing of silesquioxanes to produce an encapsulating oxide matrix for the silicon nanocrystals and ii) laser pyrolysis of silicon precursors either in gas phase or in the form of aerosols containing organometallic precursors. Both methods are quite novel and offer great possibilities for scaling up the batch production of silicon nanocrystals offered by current methodologies. Likewise, the synthesis of carbon nanodots will be explored by both thermal decomposition and laser ablation of carbon-containing precursors. To stabilize the nanoparticles and render them biocompatible for in vitro and in vivo diagnostic imaging experiments, different passivating and encapsulating agents like alkyl or alkoxy-groups and micelle-forming polymers and phospholipids will be evaluated. Finally, fluorescent labelling of cells, evaluation of cytotoxicity, drug-loading, circulation and degradation of selected samples will be carried out.

The rapid development of novel nanoelectronic devices utilizing the spin degree of freedom of the charge carriers and thus reaching beyond the limitations of traditional semiconductor based technologies is one of the central issues in nowadays spintronics. A special emphasis is put on the fabrication and investigation of hybrid nanostructures exploiting the complementary benefits of metallic, semiconducting, magnetic as well as the recently explored, low dimensional carbon based systems (carbon nanotubes, graphen). The proposed project aims to design various hybrid nanostructures defined by optical and electron beam lithography and to develop novel schemes for determining spin-related material parameters (g-factor, spin diffusion length, spin-injection efficiency and spin transfer torque) via transport measurements. This is essential in order to explore electron spin dynamics, decoherence and relaxation for multifunctional applications (fast switching elements, combined logical and storage devices, quantum dot based semiconductor spin qbits) and to determine conditions for coherent spin-transfer in nano/micro-circuits as well as methods of detection of spin currents. These experiments help to understand and control the coherent spin states of individual charge carriers, which is fundamental for the field of quantum computation in a solid state environment. The host institute possesses all the necessary nanofabrication facilities and the high-end cryogenic background for the successful implementation of device fabrication and low-level magnetotransport measurements. The host has also pioneered the measurement technique for determining spin-polarization and spin transfer torque in nanoscale magnetic systems with a resolution down to the scale of atomic junctions.

Phosphorus (P) is a key and often limiting nutrient for phytoplankton in the ocean. A strong positive feedback exists between marine P availability, primary production and ocean anoxia: increased production leads to ocean anoxia, which, in turn, decreases the burial efficiency of P in sediments and therefore increases the availability of P and production in the ocean. This feedback likely plays an important role in the present-day expansion of low-oxygen waters (“dead zones”) in coastal systems worldwide. Moreover, it contributed to the development of global scale anoxia in ancient oceans. Critically, however, the responsible mechanisms for the changes in P burial in anoxic sediments are poorly understood because of the lack of chemical tools to directly characterize sediment P. I propose to develop new methods to quantify and reconstruct P dynamics in low-oxygen marine systems and the link with carbon cycling in Earth’s present and past. These methods are based on the novel application of state-of-the-art geochemical analysis techniques to determine the burial forms of mineral-P within their spatial context in modern sediments. The new analysis techniques include nano-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (nanoSIMS), synchotron-based scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). I will use the knowledge obtained for modern sediments to interpret sediment records of P for periods of rapid and extreme climate change in Earth’s history. Using various biogeochemical models developed in my research group, I will elucidate and quantify the role of variations in the marine P cycle in the development of low-oxygen conditions and climate change. This information is crucial for our ability to predict the consequences of anthropogenically-enhanced inputs of nutrients to the oceans combined with global warming.

Coherent extreme ultraviolet (XUV) light sources open up new opportunities for science and technology. Promising examples are attosecond metrology, spectroscopic and structural analysis of matter on a nanometer scale, high resolution XUV-microscopy and lithography. The most promising technique for table-top sources is femtosecond laser-driven high-harmonic generation (HHG) in gases. Unfortunately, their XUV photon flux is not sufficient for most applications. This is caused by the low average power of the kHz repetition rate driving lasers (<10 W) and the poor conversion efficiency (<10-6). Following the traditional path of increasing the power, numerous research teams are engineering larger and more complex femtosecond high-power amplifier systems, which are supposed to provide several kilowatts of average power in the next decade. However, it is questionable if such systems can easily serve as tool for further scientific studies with XUV light.

This research program aims at pioneering and developing new nanofabrication techniques for carbon-nanoelectronics using a so-called 'bottom-up' approach. Individual building blocks for carbon-based nanodevices, such as catalyst nanoparticles, horizontally aligned carbon-nanotubes and ultra-scaled contacts and dielectrics will be precisely placed directly on the chip, without the use of lithography. This will be accomplished by using unique combinations of electron-beam induced deposition (EBID), atomic layer deposition (ALD) and oblique ion beam treatments. The process development will go hand-in-hand with atomic level understanding of the developed processes using in-situ and ex-situ analysis techniques to ensure process reproducibility and selectivity.

The aim of the HIGHSPIN project is to incorporate tunable, highly spin-polarised (THSP) materials into spintronic devices and utilise them in new 2D and 3D nanomagnetic data storage architectures.

The study of living matter has to be considered as an exciting and substantive

COLDNANO (UltraCOLD ion and electron beams for NANOscience), aspires to build novel ion and electron sources with superior performance in terms of brightness, energy spread and minimum achievable spot size. Such monochromatic, spatially focused and well controlled electron and ion beams are expected to open many research possibilities in material sciences, in surface investigations (imaging, lithography) and in semiconductor diagnostics. The proposed project intends to develop sources with the best beam quality ever produced and to assess them in some advanced surface science research domains. Laterally, I will develop expertise exchange with one Small and Medium Enterprise who will exploit industrial prototypes. The novel concept is to create ion and electron sources using advanced laser cooling techniques combined with the particular ionization properties of cold atoms. It would then be first time that 'laser cooling' would lead to a real industrial development. A cesium magneto-optical trap will first be used. The atoms will then be excited by lasers and ionized in order to provide the electron source. The specific extraction optics for the electrons will be developed. This source will be compact and portable to be used for several applications such as Low Energy Electron Microscopy, functionalization of semi-conducting surfaces or high resolution Electron Energy Loss Spectrometry by coupling to a Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope. Based on the knowledge developed with the first experiment, a second ambitious xenon dual ion and electron beam machine will then be realized and used to study the scattering of ion and electron at low energy. Finally, I present a very innovative scheme to control the time, position and velocity of individual particles in the beams. Such a machine providing ions or electrons on demand would open the way for the 'ultimate' resolution in time and space for surface analysis, lithography, microscopy or implantation.