Course syllabus adopted 2022-02-02 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).
Overview
- Swedish nameNanovetenskap
- CodeMCC026
- Credits7.5 Credits
- OwnerMPNAT
- Education cycleSecond-cycle
- Main field of studyBioengineering, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Physics
- DepartmentMICROTECHNOLOGY AND NANOSCIENCE
- GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail
Course round 1
- Teaching language English
- Application code 18114
- Maximum participants50 (at least 10% of the seats are reserved for exchange students)
- Minimum participants3
- Block schedule
- Open for exchange studentsYes
Credit distribution
Module | Sp1 | Sp2 | Sp3 | Sp4 | Summer | Not Sp | Examination dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0107 Examination 7.5 c Grading: TH | 7.5 c |
|
In programmes
Examiner
Samuel Lara Avila- Senior Researcher, Quantum Device Physics, Microtechnology and Nanoscience
Eligibility
General entry requirements for Master's level (second cycle)Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.
Specific entry requirements
English 6 (or by other approved means with the equivalent proficiency level)Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.
Course specific prerequisites
Basic science and engineering courses. The course is self-contained and while not strictly needed, prior knowledge of basic quantum mechanics is an advantage.Aim
Nanoscience is a rapidly developing area of intensive research at the border between chemistry, physics and biology. The aim of the course is to introduce basic physical concepts at nanoscale and to illustrate state of art achievements in the field, discuss possible future directions of research in nanoscience. One of the main course objectives is to introduce the students to the opportunities of research and further education in the field of Nanoscience at Chalmers. There is also a separate ethics module in the course. The aim of the module is to make the students familiar with ethics as a discipline, and provide them with an elementary understanding of ethics in the nanotechnology context. The goal is to train the students so that in the future they can identify situations that require ethical thinking, help them identify ethical issues, make appropriate choices to solve them (if it were that easy), and encourage them to think pre-emptively about the consequences of the actions they might take.Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)
- Solve basic problems on quantum transport at nanoscale
- Describe available experimental techniques for studies of current transport though single molecules, the role of coupling between molecules and electrodes, the conditions for sequential and coherent charge transport through molecule.
- Describe physical and chemical ideas for implementing electronic functionality at single-molecule level.
- Exemplify optical microscopy techniques with resolution well below the diffraction limit; methods of single-molecule optical spectroscopy such as fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy etc.
- Evaluate static (like stiffness) and dynamic (like resonance frequency and dissipative factors) mechanical properties of nanoscale objects.
- Describe the implications of nanoplasmonics and nanostructured materials for the future energy saving and conversion technologies.
- Develop original research ideas in the field of nanoscience.
- Evaluate the potential and feasibility of novel research ideas.
- Explain elementary concepts in ethics and describe typical nanotechnology issues.
- Describe a strategy and have an experience of solving an ethical nanotechnology problem
Content
This course will give an overview of the broad field of Nanoscale Science and as such serve as a background and backbone for a masters program focusing on the physical, chemical, biological and/or material aspects of this field of science. Each of the four main directions will be presented in a series of lectures that highlights its forefront and its present status at Chalmers. The ethics module will provide a generic overview.of ethics, point out some ethical issues pertinent to the use of nanotechnology, discuss an example of such an ethical issue and how it can be addressed, and present a portfolio of ethical problems.
Organisation
Fifteen review lectures will be given by researchers actively working in the area. Students will have to present their original research proposals based on the theoretical ideas and experimental techniques presented in the lectures. The projects will be reported at a student mini-conference. Each student will be an opponent for two other projects. The ethics module is given during a separate lecture.
Literature
Research, review and popular articles that cover the different aspects of nanoscience discussed in the topical lectures. Chapters of the book: Stuart Lindsay, "Introduction to Nanoscience", Oxford University Press, 2009.
Literature for the ethics module will be handed out during the lecture.
Examination including compulsory elements
Approved written and oral presentations of research proposal project; written exam (4 hours). The ethics module is assessed by a written one-page essay on how to address a chosen nanotechnology ethical problem.
The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.