Events



Join us at any of our upcoming events

Find out what's happening within the department. We invite you to explore our upcoming events.

APMS Colloquium

Thursday, March 12th, 3:45-4:45 pm, SHB 502

Dr. Dale L. Huber (Sandia Nat'l. Lab./CINT )

Tuning Reaction Kinetics and Thermodynamics to Control the Magnetic Properties of Nanoparticles

Abstract: Traditional approaches to nanoparticle size control generally attempt to control size by controlling the nucleation step and varying the number of nuclei formed. I will present several approaches to nanoparticle size control and systematic variation that seeks to control and systematically vary nanoparticle size using identical nucleation events, but varying the nanoparticle growth. The approaches have in common the constant addition of nanoparticle precursor that leads to a steady state reaction, simplifying the kinetics of the nanoparticle formation reaction. This method, referred to as the Extended LaMer mechanism, leads to a linear increase in nanoparticle volume with time. The reaction can be extended for as long as the nanoparticles remain colloidally stable, allowing for systematic variation of nanoparticle sized through a wide range. The approach is general and can be applied to a range of synthetic systems to produce nanoparticles with exceptional reproducibility in size. One can also take advantage of the loss in colloidal stability to design a reaction that precipitates at a desired size. Since this loss of solubility is essentially a phase transition, the nanoparticle size is controlled by thermodynamics and not kinetics. This improves the ease of reproducibility of nanoparticle size with or without careful control of the reaction kinetics. A continuous reaction using this precipitation approach in magnetic nanoparticles will be discussed as will scale up and applications of these nanoparticles. Bio: Dale L. Huber is a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories in the Center for Integrated Nanotechnology (CINT), a U.S. DOE Nanoscale Science Research Center jointly operated by Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories. He received a BA in Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania in 1995 and a PhD in 2000 in Polymer Science from the University of Connecticut. He has been at Sandia since 2000, where his interests include novel approaches to the synthesis of nanomaterials, in particular polymeric monolayers, inorganic nanoparticles, and nanocomposites.  

Open to All Interested!!

Cookies and coffee will be served.

Sponsored by: Department of Applied Physics and Materials Science (APMS) & Center for Materials Interfaces in Research and Applications (¡MIRA!) For more information please contact Judene Mclane at Judene.Mclane@nau.edu

APMS Colloquium

Friday, March 13th, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm, Physical Science Rm. 321

Dr. David Cole (NAU)

The Quantum Thermodynamics of Black Holes

Abstract: As our community celebrates the life of Stephen Hawking, it is appropriate to consider the theories that initially brought his name into such prominence. Specifically, his work on the Quantum Thermodynamics of Black Holes will be discussed today. This discussion is quite startling for many different reasons. First, it is remarkable that the theoretical properties of such an exotic object can even be understood at all. Even more fascinating is that only a basic knowledge of introductory physics is required to understand many of the properties of black holes. We will naturally be led to the conclusion that black holes evaporate! I had the honor of meeting Dr. Hawking about 27 years ago. I will begin the talk with a couple of anecdotes, and then we will derive a series of interesting “facts” about black holes.

This talk is open to everyone! You don’t have to be a science geek to enjoy and appreciate our little adventure into black holes. Please join us!

Cookies and coffee will be served.

Sponsored by: Department of Applied Physics and Materials Science (APMS) & Center for Materials Interfaces in Research and Applications (¡MIRA!) For more information please contact Judene Mclane at Judene.Mclane@nau.edu