OVERVIEW

The course will introduce in the basic concepts of Surface Science and of the nanostructuring at surfaces handling both theory and experimental methods. Laboratory demonstrations will allow the students to better understand the experimental methods and the basic concepts.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Relevance of surfaces and interfaces in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. The course will introduce: a) the surface excess quantities and thermodynamical properties of surfaces; b) the surface crystallographic structure with relaxation and reconstruction phenomena; c) the surface electronic ground state properties and the surface states; d) the surface magnetic properties. Specific cases for semiconductor, oxide and insulator surfaces, graphene and other ultrathin films will be discussed with respect to dimensionality with extension towards one and zero dimensions, i.e atomic wires, surface steps and clusters. Excited states at surfaces will be treated: surface phonon spectra, surface electronic and magnetic excitations. Connections to plasmonics, Energy harvesting in solar cells and photoinduced chemistry will be stressed. Gas-Surface interaction, physisorption and chemisorption, dynamics of the interaction, adsorption, desorption, sticking and simple catalytic reactions will be discussed. Crystal growth, MBE, CVD, ablation techniques, nanosized films and clusters will be introduced as well as self-assembled monolayers, artificial nanostructures and surface functionalization. Experimental methods for surface characterization, like Scanning Probe Microscopies and Diffraction Methods, as well as Surface Sensitive Electronic and Vibrational Spectroscopies will be introduced.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The students will understand the basic surface science concepts and the theoretical and experimental methods which have been develped for the description of surfaces and for their nanostructuration

PREREQUISITES

Introductory courses to the concepts of Solid State and to the Principles of Quantum Mechanics 

TEACHING METHODS

Frontal Lectures (42 hours) and Laboratory Demonstrations (10 hours)

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Relevance of surfaces and interfaces in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. Surface excess quantities and thermodynamical properties of surfaces. Crystallographic structure: relaxation and reconstruction. Electronic ground state properties of metals and surface states. Surface magnetism. Specific cases for semiconductor, oxide and insulator surfaces, graphene and other ultrathin films. Towards one and zero dimensions, atomic wires and clusters at surfaces. Excited states at surfaces: surface phonon spectra, surface electronic and magnetic excitations. Connections to plasmonics, Energy harvesting in solar cells and photoinduced chemistry. Gas-Surface interaction, physisorption and chemisorption, dynamics of the interaction, asdsoprtion, desorption, sticking and simple catalytic reactions. Crystal growth, MBE, CVD, Ablation techniques, Nanosized films and clusters. Self-assembled monolayers and artificial nanostructures. Experimental methods for surface science: Scanning Probe Microscopies, Surface Sensitive Spectroscopies and Diffraction Methods

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Introduction to Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, Gabor Somorjai, second edition Wiley

 “Physics of Surfaces and Interfaces” H.Ibach, Springer Verlag 2006. ISBN-13 978-3-540- 34709-5

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

MARIO AGOSTINO ROCCA (President)

GIOVANNI CARRARO

LUCA VATTUONE (President Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

in the first semester according to academic calender year

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The students will be examined orally. They will expose a topic of their choice. The commission will then ask to expose a different topic. Questions will be posed by the jury to assess the knowledge level of the student

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The students will be examined orally. They will expose a topic of their choice. The commission will then ask to expose a different topic. Questions will be posed by the jury to assess the knowledge level of basic concepts by the student. Sufficiency will be reached when the topics are exposed with proper language and the students demonstrates to have a basic understanding of the concepts assocaited to surface science.

Exam schedule