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November 5th, 2009

'Universal' equation describes how materials behave at nanoscale

Abstract:
Understanding how materials behave at tiny length scales is crucial for developing future nanotechnologies and continues to be a great challenge for both theoretical and experimental physicists alike. Now, a physicist at the Institute of Electronics, Microelectronics and Nanotechnology (IEMN) in Villeneuve d'Ascq, France, has borrowed from 19th century physics to come up with a new "universal" equation that predicts how size affects the key physical properties of nanometre-sized structures, which behave very differently from their macroscopic counterparts.

The surface-to-volume ratio of a structure increases dramatically as it is made smaller and therefore surface effects can be very important for tiny devices. "My equation links size effects not only to this surface-to-volume ratio but also to the intrinsic nature of the nanoparticles involved - that is, whether they are fermions or bosons," Grégory Guisbiers told physicsworld.com.

Source:
physicsworld.com

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