The Nano-Science Center is a center at the
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...
dedicated to the teaching and research of
nanotechnology
Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal o ...
.
The Nano-Science Center was inaugurated in 2001 in a cooperation between the
Niels Bohr Institute (physics) and the
Department of Chemistry. It resides in the D block of the interconnected
Hans Christian Ørsted Building complex.
The current chairman is professor Bo Wegge Laursen.
A new undergraduate program (3 years ending with a B.Sc. in nanotechnology) admitted the first students in September 2002, currently admitting about 60 students per year. Graduates are expected to continue to get a M.Sc. within a subfield of nanotechnology.
Research
Current research includes theoretical and experimental
nanophysics,
synchrotron
A synchrotron is a particular type of cyclic particle accelerator, descended from the cyclotron, in which the accelerating particle beam travels around a fixed closed-loop path. The magnetic field which bends the particle beam into its closed p ...
x-ray scattering
X-ray scattering techniques are a family of non-destructive analytical techniques which reveal information about the crystal structure, chemical composition, and physical properties of materials and thin films. These techniques are based on observ ...
, supramolecular
surface chemistry
Surface science is the study of physical and chemical phenomena that occur at the interface of two phases, including solid–liquid interfaces, solid–gas interfaces, solid–vacuum interfaces, and liquid–gas interfaces. It includes the fiel ...
,
organic synthesis
Organic synthesis is a special branch of chemical synthesis and is concerned with the intentional construction of organic compounds. Organic molecules are often more complex than inorganic compounds, and their synthesis has developed into one o ...
,
biophysics
Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that applies approaches and methods traditionally used in physics to study biological phenomena. Biophysics covers all scales of biological organization, from molecular to organismic and populations. ...
,
nanocontainers, molecular electronic properties and
molecular biology
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physi ...
.
Nanoflake
Nanoflake has been discovered in the Center. It is a perfect
crystalline
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macrosc ...
structure that also absorbs all light. Nanoflakes have the potential to convert up to 30 per cent of the solar energy into electricity, which is similar to present day solar cells. It can reduce the solar cell production costs because it uses less of the expensive
semiconducting silicon in the process, due to the use of
nanotechnology
Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal o ...
.
See also
*
Niels Bohr Institute
The Niels Bohr Institute (Danish: ''Niels Bohr Institutet'') is a research institute of the University of Copenhagen. The research of the institute spans astronomy, geophysics, nanotechnology, particle physics, quantum mechanics and biophysics. ...
References
External links
Homepage of the Nano-Science Center
{{authority control
University of Copenhagen
Nanotechnology institutions
Research institutes in Denmark
Solar cells