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SUMMARY:Phase transitions in nanostructures - Dr David Cobden\, Department
  of Physics\, University of Washington\, Seattle
DTSTART:20101115T141500Z
DTEND:20101115T160000Z
UID:TALK27406@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:afw24
DESCRIPTION:Because of the change in structure\, the latent heat\, and the
  need for nucleation\, first-order phase transitions involving a solid pha
 se tend to very sensitive to inhomogeneities and to be difficult to study 
 in bulk material. For solid-solid transitions the situation is particularl
 y bad\, with random domain formation\, high strain\, and fracture being al
 most unavoidable. I will discuss how working with nanoscale systems\, whic
 h are small compared with the scale of inhomogeneities and domains\, allow
 s much improved control of such transitions. It also opens up possibilitie
 s to investigate phase transitions in reduced dimensionality\, where the p
 hysics may be qualitatively different from that in three dimensions and ma
 y be more theoretically tractable as well. These advantages will be illust
 rated in two systems: a solid-solid transition driven by electron-electron
  correlations in a vanadium dioxide nanobeam\; and vapor-liquid-solid tran
 sitions occurring in a monolayer of gas atoms adsorbed on a carbon nanotub
 e.
LOCATION:Mott Seminar Room\, Cavendish Laboratory\, Department of Physics
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