Speaker
Description
Ion-track etched membranes provide a versatile platform for the fabrication of highly ordered one- and three-dimensional (3D) nanostructures with precisely controlled architectures. Such control over nanoscale geometry, connectivity, and interfaces is essential for understanding how structure governs material properties and for developing functional nanostructured materials. At GSI, polymer foils are irradiated with swift heavy ions at the X0 beamline and subsequently chemically etched to form nanochannels with tunable diameter, density, alignment, and geometry. Sequential irradiation from different directions enables complex 3D channel networks, which can be used as templates for the fabrication of free-standing nanowire and nanotube assemblies.
At the Materials Research Department, these tailored templates are combined with complementary deposition techniques, in particular electrochemical deposition and atomic layer deposition (ALD), to realize nanostructures with controlled composition, dimensions, and architecture. Electrochemical deposition enables the fabrication of metallic and semiconductor nanowires, while ALD provides conformal coatings of the channel walls and thus access to hollow nanotubes and nanoscale core-shell structures. These combinations offer independent control over both the geometry and materials composition of the resulting nanostructures.
Beyond the fabrication of well-defined nanostructures, we investigate and exploit nanoscale materials properties. Current activities include 3D nanowire architectures for thermoelectric applications, nanostructured materials for heterogeneous catalysis, and functional surfaces with tailored wetting properties. The controlled dimensions, interfaces, and architectures further enable systematic studies of structure-properties relationships, including size- and interface-dependent properties and their response to high pressure and ion irradiation. In this contribution, selected examples will be presented, highlighting how tailored nanochannel templates and complementary deposition strategies provide a versatile platform for developing functional materials for energy conversion, catalysis, and surface engineering, as well as well-defined model systems for materials research under extreme conditions.