FRG: Quantum Tuning of Superconducting, Plasmonic, and Chemical Properties of Metallic Nanostructures

技术概述：具有减小尺寸的优雅制造的功能材料占据了现代材料研究的中心阶段。通过揭示生长科学中的基本概念和开发先进的合成技术，材料科学家们努力通过尺寸控制以最终的原子精度来定制新材料。这一科学事业是由这样一种认识驱动的，即通过降低系统的维度，系统内的量子效应被调整得更加明显，可能导致具有技术意义的新兴物理特性。该FRG计划率先制定和开发了一个创新概念，称为“电子生长”，强调了量子力学限制的巡回电子运动在定义整体稳定性以及各种金属薄膜和纳米结构在不同衬底上的首选生长模式方面的至关重要性。这一新概念的深远影响在于其使能作用：它提供了可以利用量子尺寸效应精确控制金属结构形成的基础;反过来，在量子机制中形成的这种结构必然会成为阐明有趣的量子特性的吸引人的平台。新阶段的研究重点将集中在探索量子增长的新前沿。中心目标将是获得在量子体系中定制的金属系统的属性可调性，围绕三个推力开发，每个推力都具有深刻的基础和实际重要性：（a）低维电子系统中的超导性;（B）在量子体系中调谐等离子体性质;（c）量子金属合金的形成和催化性质。该提案旨在创建一个跨学科的研究计划，重点是金属纳米结构的研究领域，其中物理性质由量子尺寸效应主导。最终的研究目标是使用原子尺度控制材料合成，以调整量子体系中的物理性质。该提案侧重于整合研究和教育，以培养具有国际竞争力的学生和博士后。这种设置是通过这个联邦德国团队与橡树岭国家实验室（ORNL）的独特合作伙伴关系提供的。UT-奥斯汀，UT-诺克斯维尔和ORNL一起为材料研究的下一代美国领导者提供了一个密切合作的跨学科研究/教育平台。调查人员还致力于向各级更广泛的受众开展教育宣传。这将通过多倾向的方法来完成，包括（a）提供特殊主题课程，丰富纳米科学和技术课程，也可以让更广泛的本科生获得，（B）加强纳米科学和纳米技术夏季学院的推广计划，为德克萨斯州的高中教师和学生提供，及（c）以参与田纳西州州长科学及工程学院的高中生为对象，为他们提供研究训练。最后，该计划完全致力于扩大研究生研究中代表性不足的群体的参与，具体目标是增加女性或/和西班牙裔背景的研究生比例。

TECHNICAL SUMMARY:Elegantly fabricated functional materials with reduced dimensions occupy a central stage of modern materials research. By uncovering fundamental enabling concepts in growth science and developing advanced synthesis techniques, materials scientists strive to tailor novel materials through dimensional control with the ultimate atomic precision. This scientific enterprise is driven by the realization that, by reducing the dimensionality of the systems, quantum effects within the systems are tuned to be more pronounced, potentially resulting in emergent physical properties of technological significance. This FRG program pioneered in the formulation and development of an innovative concept, termed "electronic growth", stressing the vital importance of quantum mechanically confined motion of the itinerant electrons in defining the overall stability as well as the preferred growth mode of a variety of metal films and nanostructures on different substrates. The far-reaching impact of this new concept lies in its enabling role: It provides the basis on which quantum size effects can be exploited to precisely control the formation of metallic structures; such structures formed in the quantum regime, in turn, are bound to serve as appealing platforms for elucidating intriguing quantum properties. The proposed research emphasis in the new phase will focus on exploration of new frontiers of quantum growth. The central objectives will be to gain property tunability of the metal systems tailored in the quantum regime, developed around three thrusts, each of profound fundamental and practical importance: (a) Superconductivity in Low Dimensional Electron Systems; (b) Tuning Plasmonic Properties in the in the Quantum Regime; and (c) Formation and Catalytic Properties of Quantum Metal Alloys.NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:This proposal is aimed at creating an inter-disciplinary research program focusing on the research area of metallic nanostructures where the physical properties are dominated by quantum size effects. The ultimate research goals are to use atomic scale control of materials synthesis to tune the physical properties in the quantum regime. The proposal focuses on the integration research and education to train internationally competitive students and postdocs. This setting is provided through the unique partnership of this FRG team with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Together, UT-Austin, UT-Knoxville, and ORNL provide a closely collaborative, inter-disciplinary research/educational platform for next generation of US leaders in materials research. The investigators are also committed to educational outreach to a broader audience at all levels. This will be accomplished with multi-prone approaches including (a) offering special topic courses which enrich the curriculum in Nanoscience and Technology that are also accessible to broader undergraduate students, (b) enhancing the outreach program of Summer Academy of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology for State-wide high school teachers and students in Texas, and (c) targeting high school students who are participating in the Tennessee Governor's school for the Sciences and Engineering by offering them research training. Finally, this program is fully committed to broadening participation of under-represented groups in graduate research with specific goals of increasing the percentage of graduate students that are woman or/and of Hispanic background.