This book fills a gap between many of the basic solid state physics and materials sciencebooks that are currently available. It is written for a mixed audience of electricalengineering and applied physics students who have some knowledge of elementaryundergraduate quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics. This book, based on asuccessful course taught at MIT, is divided pedagogically into three parts: (I) ElectronicStructure, (II) Transport Properties, and (III) Optical Properties. Each topic is explainedin the context of bulk materials and then extended to low-dimensional materials whereapplicable. Problem sets review the content of each chapter to help students to understandthe material described in each of the chapters more deeply and to prepare them to masterthe next chapters.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the chemistry of CO2 in relation to surface interactions and photocatalytic transformation by UV radiation. The first part deals with the modelling of an anatase surface, its interaction with CO2, and the spontaneous exchange of oxygen atoms between the gas and solid phases. The book then naturally transitions to the photocatalytic reduction of CO2, achieved by adding UV radiation and traces of water to the experimental system, to produce methane and CO. This photocatalytic reduction is explained in detail and the implications for planetary chemistry (specifically concerning Mars), as well as Earth's atmospheric chemistry and global warming, are discussed.

The study of the magnetic response of Josephson junction networks can be useful in outlining the behaviour of existing superconducting electronic devices, in conceiving new types of magnetic sensors, and in describing the low-field magnetic properties of granular superconductors. In the present work a wide introduction to Josephson junction networks is provided. The Josephson equations are introduced by means of Ohta's semi-classical model and a simple description of the magnetic response of multiply connected superconductors is given. The analysis of the magnetic response of Josephson junction networks is gradually built up from simple interferometers to three-dimensional lattices of superconducting devices. The analytic description of these systems may be applied when fabricating ultrasensitive vectorial magnetic field sensors and interpreting the low-field magnetic properties of superconducting granular systems.

With this volume, Ezequiel P. M. Leiva and co-authors fill a gap in the available literature, by providing a much-needed, comprehensive review of the relevant literature for electrochemists, materials scientists and energy researchers. For the first time, they present applications of underpotential deposition (UPD) on the nanoscale, such as nanoparticles and nanocavities, as well as for electrocatalysis. They also discuss real surface determinations and layer-by-layer growth of ultrathin films, as well as the very latest modeling approaches to UPD based on nanothermodynamics, statistical mechanics, molecular dynamics and Monte-Carlo simulations.

This book is a passionate account of the scientific breakthroughs that led to the solution of the first protein structures and to the understanding of their function at atomic resolution. The book is divided into self-standing chapters that each deal with a protein or protein family. The subject is presented in a fluid, non-technical style that will engage student and scientists in biochemistry, biophysics, molecular and structure biology and physiology.

This thesis presents first observations of superconductivity in one- or two-atomic-scale thin layer materials. The thesis begins with a historical overview of superconductivity and the electronic structure of two-dimensional materials, and mentions that these key ingredients lead to the possibility of the two-dimensional superconductor with high phase-transition temperature and critical magnetic field. Thereafter, the thesis moves its focus onto the implemented experiments, in which mainly two different materials thallium-deposited silicon surfaces and metal-intercalated bilayer graphenes, are used. The study of the first material is the first experimental demonstration of both a gigantic Rashba effect and superconductivity in the materials supposed to be superconductors without spatial inversion symmetry. The study of the latter material is relevant to superconductivity in a bilayer graphene, which was a big experimental challenge for a decade, and has been first achieved by the author. The description of the generic and innovative measurement technique, highly effective in probing electric resistivity of ultra-thin materials unstable in an ambient environment, makes this thesis a valuable source for researchers not only in surface physics but also in nano-materials science and other condensed-matter physics.

This book systematically reviews the history of lead-free piezoelectric materials, including the latest research. It also addresses a number of important issues, such as new types of materials prepared in a multitude of sizes, structural and physical properties, and potential applications for high-performance devices. Further, it examines in detail the state of the art in lead-free piezoelectric materials, focusing on the pathways to modify different structures and achieve enhanced physical properties and new functional behavior. Lastly, it discusses the prospects for potential future developments in lead-free piezoelectric materials across disciplines and for multifunctional applications. Given its breadth of coverage, the book offers a comprehensive resource for graduate students, academic researchers, development scientists, materials producers, device designers and applications engineers who are working on or are interested in advanced lead-free piezoelectric materials.

Advances in understanding the interactions between light and subwavelength materials have enabled the author and his collaborators to tailor unique optical responses at the nanoscale. In particular, metallic nanostructures capable of supporting surface plasmons can be designed to possess spectrally narrow plasmon resonances, which are of particular interest due to their exceptional sensitivity to their local environment. In turn, combining plasmonic nanostructures with other materials in hybrid systems allows this sensitivity to be exploited in a broad range of applications. In this book the author explores two different approaches to attaining narrow plasmon resonances: in gold nanoparticle arrays by utilising diffraction coupling, and in copper thin films covered by a protective graphene layer. The performance of these resonances is then considered in a number of applications. Nanoparticle arrays are used along with an atomic heterostructure as elements in a nanomechanical electro-optical modulator that is capable of strong, broadband modulation. Strong coupling between diffraction-coupled plasmon resonances and a gold nanoparticle array and guided modes in a dielectric slab is used to construct a hybrid waveguide. Lastly, the extreme phase sensitivity of graphene-protected copper is used to detect trace quantities of small toxins in solution far below the detection limit of commercial surface plasmon resonance sensors.

After decades of dominance of genetics and genomics, the importance of structural biology is growing exponentially in the field of plant biology. The main objectives of this new book series is to "demystify" structural biology for plant researchers and to provide important insights into the basic molecular mechanisms underlying plant development through the diverse approaches utilized by structural biologists. The book series starts with a theme dedicated to hormonal signaling that has benefited from the application of structural biology. "Plant Structural Biology: Hormonal Regulations" provides up-to-date knowledge of the structural aspects of hormonal signal recognition, signal transduction, hormonal control of downstream regulatory pathways and hormonal crosstalk. The most distinctive features of this book as well as future titles is/will be to provide overview of cutting-edge research in the field of plant structural biology, and to serve as a compendium of various approaches that could be applied to problems being solved in modern plant biology. Last but not least, we hope this book will facilitate and broaden the community of (not only) plant scientists who are interested in structural biology approaches and tools. For these reasons, the style of this series is concise and general, in order to avoiding unnecessary details. Explanatory boxes describing the basics of specific approaches (e.g. X-ray crystallography, NMR, SAXS, molecular dynamics simulations, etc.) are included.

This second edition provides a cutting-edge overview of physical, technical and scientific aspects related to the widely used analytical method of confocal Raman microscopy. The book includes expanded background information and adds insights into how confocal Raman microscopy, especially 3D Raman imaging, can be integrated with other methods to produce a variety of correlative microscopy combinations. The benefits are then demonstrated and supported by numerous examples from the fields of materials science, 2D materials, the life sciences, pharmaceutical research and development, as well as the geosciences.

In this book, the author describes the development of the experimental diffraction setup and structural analysis of non-crystalline particles from material science and biology. Recent advances in X-ray free electron laser (XFEL)-coherent X-ray diffraction imaging (CXDI) experiments allow for the structural analysis of non-crystalline particles to a resolution of 7 nm, and to a resolution of 20 nm for biological materials. Now XFEL-CXDI marks the dawn of a new era in structural analys of non-crystalline particles with dimensions larger than 100 nm, which was quite impossible in the 20th century. To conduct CXDI experiments in both synchrotron and XFEL facilities, the author has developed apparatuses, named KOTOBUKI-1 and TAKASAGO-6 for cryogenic diffraction experiments on frozen-hydrated non-crystalline particles at around 66 K. At the synchrotron facility, cryogenic diffraction experiments dramatically reduce radiation damage of specimen particles and allow tomography CXDI experiments. In addition, in XFEL experiments, non-crystalline particles scattered on thin support membranes and flash-cooled can be used to efficiently increase the rate of XFEL pulses. The rate, which depends on the number density of scattered particles and the size of X-ray beams, is currently 20-90%, probably the world record in XFEL-CXDI experiments. The experiment setups and results are introduced in this book. The author has also developed software suitable for efficiently processing of diffraction patterns and retrieving electron density maps of specimen particles based on the diffraction theory used in CXDI.

This book explores new experimental phase diagrams of non-oxide ceramics, with a particular focus on the silicon nitride, silicon carbide and aluminum nitride, as well as the ultra-high temperature ceramic (UHTC) systems. It features more than 80 experimental phase diagrams of these non-oxide ceramics, including three phase diagrams of UHTC systems, constructed by the authors. Physical chemistry data covering the period since the 1970s, collected by the author Z.K.Huang, is presented in six tables in the appendixes. It also includes 301 figures involving about 150 material systems. Most of the phase diagrams have been selected from the ACerS-NIST database with copyright permission. The book methodically presents numerous diagrams previously scattered in various journals and conferences worldwide. Providing extensive experimental data, it is a valuable reference resource on ceramics development and design for academic researchers, R&D engineers and graduate students.

As the sequel to the proceedings of the International Conference of Continuum Mechanics Focusing on Singularities (CoMFoS15), the proceedings of CoMFoS16 present further advances and new topics in mathematical theory and numerical simulations related to various aspects of continuum mechanics. These include fracture mechanics, shape optimization, modeling of earthquakes, material structure, interface dynamics and complex systems.. The authors are leading researchers with a profound knowledge of mathematical analysis from the fields of applied mathematics, physics, seismology, engineering, and industry. The book helps readers to understand how mathematical theory can be applied to various industrial problems, and conversely, how industrial problems lead to new mathematical challenges.

This new edition provides a state-of-the-art survey of ellipsometric methods used to study organic films and surfaces, from laboratory to synchrotron applications, with a special focus on in-situ use in processing environments and at solid-liquid interfaces. Thanks to the development of functional organic, meta- and hybrid materials for new optical, electronic, sensing and biotechnological devices, the ellipsometric analysis of optical and material properties has made tremendous strides over the past few years. The second edition has been updated to reflect the latest advances in ellipsometric methods. The new content focuses on the study of anisotropic materials, conjugated polymers, polarons, self-assembled monolayers, industrial membranes, adsorption of proteins, enzymes and RGD-peptides, as well as the correlation of ellipsometric spectra to structure and molecular interactions.

This thesis focuses on the design and synthesis of novel one-dimensional colloidal chalcogenide hetero-nanostructures for enhancing solar energy conversion applications. Semiconducting nanomaterials are particular attractive for energy conversion due to the quantum confinement effects dictating their unique optical and electronic properties. Steering the photo-induced charge-flow based on unique bandgap alignment in semiconductor heterojunctions is critical for photo-electric/chemical conversion. The author presents the controllable preparation strategies to synthesize 1D chalcogenide hetero-nanostructures with various fine structures, further been used as excellent template materials for preparing other novel and complex hybrid architectures through a series of chemical transformations. The heterogeneous growth mechanisms of novel hetero-nanostructures is studied for developing a facile and general method to prepare more novel heterostructures. The band gap structure simulations, detailed charge carrier behaviour and unique solar energy conversion properties of the prepared hybrid nanostructures are deeply investigated. This work would open a new door to rationally designing hybrid systems for photo-induced applications.

This monograph discusses the essential principles of the evaporationprocess by looking at it at the molecular and atomic level. In the first part methods of statistical physics, physical kinetics andnumerical modeling are outlined including the Maxwell's distributionfunction, the Boltzmann kinetic equation, the Vlasov approach, and theCUDA technique. The distribution functions of evaporating particles are then defined.Experimental results on the evaporation coefficient and the temperaturejump on the evaporation surface are critically reviewed and compared tothe theory and numerical results presented in previous chapters. The book ends with a chapter devoted to evaporation in differentprocesses, such as boiling and cavitation.This monograph addressesgraduate students and researchers working on phase transitions andrelated fields.

This book pioneers a novel approach to investigate the effects of pressure on fission tracks, a geological problem that has remained unsolved for 60 years. While conventional techniques to study fission tracks were limited in precision, this book overcomes such issues by using state-of-the-art synchrotron-based x-ray scattering; a technique initially developed for applications in material science and biomedical research. The book provides an overview of the theory and application of small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) on cylindrical ion tracks, including in-situ SAXS on ion tracks with simultaneous increases in temperature and pressure. As such it demonstrates a degree of characterisation normally not achievable with in-situ techniques. Further, it compares SAXS with small angle neutron scattering (SANS). This book has led to a range of publications and attracted the interest of the geological and material science communities. Daniel Schauries has been awarded several prizes for this research, including the Graduate Student Award of the Materials Research Society.

This third volume describes continuous bodies treated as classical (Boltzmann) and spin (Cosserat) continua or fluid mixtures of such bodies. It discusses systems such as Boltzmann continua (with trivial angular momentum) and Cosserat continua (with nontrivial spin balance) and formulates the balance law and deformation measures for these including multiphase complexities. Thermodynamics is treated in the spirit of Muller-Liu: it is applied to Boltzmann-type fluids in three dimensions that interact with neighboring fluids on two-dimensional contact surfaces and/or one-dimensional contact lines. For all these situations it formulates the balance laws for mass, momenta, energy, and entropy. Further, it introduces constitutive modeling for 3-, 2-, 3-d body parts for general processes and materially objective variable sets and their reduction to equilibrium and non-equilibrium forms. Typical (reduced) fluid spin continua are liquid crystals. Prominent nematic examples of these include the Ericksen-Leslie-Parodi (ELP) formulation, in which material particles are equipped with material unit vectors (directors). Nematic liquid crystals with tensorial order parameters of rank 1 to n model substructure behavior better, and for both classes of these, the book analyzes the thermodynamic conditions of consistency. Granular solid-fluid mixtures are generally modeled by complementing the Boltzmann laws with a balance of fluctuation (kinetic) energy of the particles. The book closes by presenting a full Reynolds averaging procedure that accounts for higher correlation terms e.g. a k-epsilon formulation in classical turbulence. However, because the volume fraction is an additional variable, the theory also incorporates 'k-epsilon equations' for the volume fraction.

This book is an up-to-date survey of the major optical characterization techniques for thin solid films. Emphasis is placed on practicability of the various approaches. Relevant fundamentals are briefly reviewed before demonstrating the application of these techniques to practically relevant research and development topics. The book is written by international top experts, all of whom are involved in industrial research and development projects.

This edited book, based on material presented at the EU Spec Training School on Multiple Scattering Codes and the following MSNano Conference, is divided into two distinct parts. The first part, subtitled "basic knowledge", provides the basics of the multiple scattering description in spectroscopies, enabling readers to understand the physics behind the various multiple scattering codes available for modelling spectroscopies. The second part, "extended knowledge", presents "state- of-the-art" short chapters on specific subjects associated with improving of the actual description of spectroscopies within the multiple scattering formalism, such as inelastic processes, or precise examples of modelling.

This book concisely illustrates the techniques of major surface analysis and their applications to a few key examples. Surfaces play crucial roles in various interfacial processes, and their electronic/geometric structures rule the physical/chemical properties. In the last several decades, various techniques for surface analysis have been developed in conjunction with advances in optics, electronics, and quantum beams. This book provides a useful resource for a wide range of scientists and engineers from students to professionals in understanding the main points of each technique, such as principles, capabilities and requirements, at a glance. It is a contemporary encyclopedia for selecting the appropriate method depending on the reader's purpose.

This thesis describes an investigation into homogeneous KN crystalline films grown on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates, amorphous KN films grown on TiN/Si substrates using the RF-sputtering method, and the ferroelectic and piezoelectric properties of these KN films. KNbO3 (KN) thin films have been extensively investigated for applications in nonlinear optical, electro-optical and piezoelectric devices. However, the electrical properties of KN films have not yet been reported, because it is difficult to grow stoichiometric KN thin films due to K2O evaporation during growth. This thesis also reports on the ReRAM properties of a biocompatible KN ReRAM memristor powered by the KN nanogenerator, and finally shows the biological synaptic properties of the KN memristor for application to the artificial synapse of a neuromorphic computing system.

This thesis presents a series of experimental techniques based on scanning probe microscopy, which make it possible access the degree of freedom of protons both in real and energy space. These novel techniques and methods allow direct visualization of the concerted quantum tunneling of protons within the hydrogen-bonded network and quantification of the quantum component of a single hydrogen bond at a water-solid interface for the first time. Furthermore, the thesis demonstrates that the anharmonic quantum fluctuations of hydrogen nuclei further weaken the weak hydrogen bonds and strengthen the strong ones. However, this trend was reversed when the hydrogen bond coupled to the local environment. These pioneering findings substantially advance our understanding of the quantum nature of H bonds at the molecular level.

This book explores the application of external physical fields to the solidification processing of metallic alloys. Leading academics from around the world present comprehensive and critical reviews on state-of-the-art research and discuss possible future directions. Major physical fields, including electromagnetic, electric, acoustic, and thermal, are considered. In addition, the most advanced synchrotron X-ray based real-time and in-situ studies and numerical modeling methodologies are reviewed and discussed, with a special emphasis on their applications to the solidification processes. Throughout, all chapters are illustrated with both historical and very recent research cases, including typical examples of in-situ studies, modeling, and simulation. This book contains essential knowledge and information suitable for a wide audience, from undergraduate and postgraduate students to academics, practicing researchers, and engineers in materials, metallurgy, and manufacturing.

The book covers recent advances and progress in understanding both the fundamental science of lasers interactions in materials science, as well as a special emphasis on emerging applications enabled by the irradiation of materials by pulsed laser systems. The different chapters illustrate how, by careful control of the processing conditions, laser irradiation can result in efficient material synthesis, characterization, and fabrication at various length scales from atomically-thin 2D materials to microstructured periodic surface structures. This book serves as an excellent resource for all who employ lasers in materials science, spanning such different disciplines as photonics, photovoltaics, and sensing, to biomedical applications.