Research Center for Nanoscale structure of Matter.

Research Center for Nanoscale structure of Matter

Our goals

The main field of the research is the study of 3D local atomic nanoscale geometry and electronic structure in various types of advanced novel materials including nanotechnology objects at the subatomic limit (i.e. the determination of the interatomic distances with 0.02 Angstrom accuracy as well as the study of bonding angles with the accuracy up to several degrees). This novel approach is based on the high-end theoretical analysis of the high resolution experimental data: XANES (X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure) and / or EELS (Electron Energy Loss Spectra) as implemented in FitIt 2.0 code. The most important objects for the present method can be various nanoscale materials like nanoclusters, nanotubes, etc, as well as defects and impurities in solids, active metal centers of proteins, metallic complexes, catalysts.

The main idea

If the analyzed nanocluster of atoms (or molecule) changes its 3D structure

mooving

we can follow these changes by analyzing the shape of its x-ray absorption (or EELS) spectra, as these spectra are very sensitive to small variations of the bonding distances and bonding angles -i.e. 3D local structure around the atom absorbing x-ray photon or electron.

Congratulations to Kirill Lomachenko - winner of the President of Russia fellowship !! He is among 5 the best students of about 50,000 students of our University.