Scientific Events

The Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung in Düsseldorf is organizing a workshop on hydrogen embrittlement in steels on June, 25th 2012 and would like to invite all interested research colleagues to participate in this event. The workshop is part of a series of topical one-day meetings at the institute. The intention is to bring together leading experts from academia and industry in a workshop format to enable in-depth discussions of fundamental and applied research regarding both current and preliminary research in this area. A broad variety of topics concerning hydrogen embrittlement in steels will be presented; covering topics from modeling of plasticity mechanisms, hydrogen-dislocation interactions, advances in characterization to alloy design and extreme environmental conditions. The event will take place in the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung at Max-Planck-Straße 1, 40237 Düsseldorf, Germany. The program also includes a lab session where new approaches used in characterization, alloy design and modeling will be demonstrated. If you would like to attend this event, then please register online on hesreg.mpie.de till June 20th 2012. We emphasize that registration is mandatory and that there are limited places only. The event is free of charge. [more]

This seminar is aimed at those interested in 3D reconstruction from radiology images, and in using 3D image data (as obtained from CT, MicroCT, MRI and Ultrasound) to generate Rapid Prototyping, CAD, and Finite Element models. Attend this seminar to learn how to: »»Generate computer models from your 3D image data »»Import and position CAD files in the image data »»Integrate with Ansys, Abaqus, Comsol, LS-Dyna, or other solvers »»Use Simpleware software for specific applications in medical engineering or materials science Programme: 9.00 - 9.45 Presentation: Meshing from 3D image data - from materials characterisation to medical simulation 9.45 - 10.30 Demonstration: ScanIP+FE+CAD software - including new features from recent release 10.30 - 12.00 Further Questions & Refreshments Attendees are also encouraged to bring or send their own image data to get personalised support during or after the seminar. All data will be treated confidentially, and a secure FTP site will be available before the seminar. [more]

Despite remarkable advancements in the theory and spectroscopy, and the myriad tools for measuring tunneling currents through molecules, a central problem in the field of Molecular Electronics is the lack of robust, generalizable, scalable methods for leveraging self-assembly to construct devices. In this talk I will discuss two methods for using self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) to define the smallest dimension of tunneling-based devices; eutectic Ga-In (EGaIn) and Nanoskiving. EGaIn is a non-Newtonian liquid alloy with the remarkable ability to retain tapered structures simply by stretching it between to surfaces. These tapered structures can then be used to form reversible, non-damaging micron-sized contacts to SAMs of a variety of different types of molecules. Such a tip is pictured in the top figure, along with a cartoon of a tunneling junction and the J/V curves of three SAMs for which the conjugation pattern is shown to affect the tunneling probability via quantum interference. Pictured below are three different nano-gap electrodes fabricated by Nanoskiving, an emerging nanofabrication technique based on edge lithography. These electrodes are formed by separating two thin films of gold by a SAM and then slicing them using a diamond knife (Nanoskiving) to produce addressable structures that are millimeters long and separated by ~2 nm. They are electrically continuous and the separation of the electrodes can be controlled with sub-nanometer resolution without a clean room or any photo or e-beam lithography. [more]

The seminar "Thin Film Metrology" focuses on optical methods and applications for thin film analysis. Basics of spectroscopic ellipsometry, reflectometry and transmission measurements are presented. Contributions from experts cover the analysis of the properties of metallic surfaces, transparent conductive thin films, dielectric, magnetic and organic materials. The invited experts come from various research areas. Register as soon as possible, as the number of participants is limited to 30. You can send your registration per mail: sales@sentech.de or per Fax: +49 / 89 / 897 9607-22 For further questions please contact SENTECH under: +49 / 89 / 897 9607- 0 [more]

Nanoporous metals prepared by the corrosion of an alloy can take the form of monolithic, millimeter-sized bodies containing approximately 1015 nanoscale ligaments per cubic millimeter. Their structure size can reach down to the very limits of stability of nanoscale objects. The prospect of using alloy corrosion as a means of making nanomaterials for fundamental studies and functional applications has led to a revived interest in the process. One of the distinguishing features of the materials in question is their bicontinuous microstructure, with two contiguous and interpenetrating phases. When at least one of the phases—for instance, a gas in the void space—allows the fast transport of a signal, then the interfaces can be addressed and their properties manipulated. That predestines nanoporous solids as objects of study for a new class of functional materials, in which interfacial behaviour is controlled reversibly by external variables, and the entire material reacts. Nanoporous metal actuators or ‘metallic muscles’ exemplify that concept, as do photonic metamaterials with tuneable resonances and structural materials with tuneable strength and ductility. The quite distinct mechanical properties of nanoporous metals are of interest in themselves, since the relevant studies probe the collective deformation behaviour of macroscopic arrays of objects with dimensions at the lower end of the size scale. [more]