Magnetism at the Nanoscale

对受限几何中的磁性的研究产生了许多新的科学和技术 在过去的三十年中，它将继续成为一个有价值的研究领域，在可预见的未来产生应用。表现出新颖特性的受限系统通常由包括至少一个或多个磁性部件的不同材料组成。对纳米磁性的基本理解将导致具有复杂结构和具有新功能的架构的集成系统的开发。纳米结构功能材料，特别是纳米颗粒的药物控制释放，由于在癌症治疗和其他疾病的治疗中的机会而引起越来越多的关注。磁性纳米颗粒的潜力源于其磁性核心的内在特性，结合其载药能力和可通过合适的涂层赋予它们的生化特性。 在界面和表面的磁性，这构成了很大一部分的纳米结构和限制材料，可以从那些块体系统的性质不同。理解这些差异的基础是理解随着结构尺度从大块下降到纳米级，磁性的演变。由于对称性降低，表面或界面处的磁各向异性可以比块体中大几个数量级。该结果可导致表面和界面处的磁化的磁挫挫和重定向。 我的研究计划将开发和使用高性能计算工具来研究磁性纳米结构的复杂原子自旋结构。我的工作将促进我们对纳米粒子中磁相互作用的理解，并使新技术成为可能。对纳米磁性的基本了解将在我们的生活中发挥越来越大的作用，并影响加拿大社会的许多领域。

The study of magnetism in confined geometries has produced much new science and many technical applications over the past thirty years and will continue to be a rewarding area of research yielding applications in the foreseeable future. Confined systems that exhibit novel properties often consist of dissimilar materials that include at least one or more magnetic component. A fundamental understanding of nanomagnetism will lead to the development of integrated systems with complex structures and architectures that possess new functionalities. Controlled release of drugs from nanostructured functional materials, especially nanoparticles, is attracting increasing attention because of the opportunities in cancer therapy and the treatment of other ailments. The potential of magnetic nanoparticles stems from the intrinsic properties of their magnetic cores combined with their drug loading capability and the biochemical properties that can be bestowed on them by means of a suitable coating. Magnetic properties at interfaces and surfaces, which make up a large fraction of nanostructured and confined materials, can be qualitatively different from those of bulk systems. Fundamental to understanding these differences is understanding the evolution of the magnetism as the structural scale descends from the bulk to the nanoscale. Due to reduced symmetry, the magnetic anisotropy at a surface or interface can be orders of magnitude larger than in the bulk. This result can lead to magnetic frustration and reorientation of the magnetization at the surface and interface. My research program will develop and use high performance computing tools to investigate the complex atomic spin structure of magnetic nanostructures. My work will advance our understanding of magnetic interactions in nanoparticles and enable new technologies. A fundamental understanding of nanomagnetism will play an increasing role in our lives and impact many areas of Canadian society.