NANOCAGE: Imaging, Spectroscopy, and Manipulation of Caged Atoms
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The NANOCAGE project brings together a number of leading European nanoscience groups on a research problem which involves not only a novel materials system but a variety of cutting edge spectroscopic techniques. Interpretation of the spectroscopic measurements will in turn be facilitated by the application of a number of powerful theoretical methods. This combination of interdisciplinary research, challenging experimental techniques, an exotic materials system, and comprehensive theoretical work provides an exceptionally strong PhD training programme in nanoscience.

The network comprises a critical mass of researchers who - through a combination of a broad range of experimental and theoretical techniques - will address fundamental and pressing issues related to the structure, interactions, and dynamics of endofullerenes on a range of metal and semiconductor surfaces (and, indeed, inside such nanoscale objects as carbon nanotubes). Endofullerenes represent a remarkable form of matter where an atom or cluster of atoms is encapsulated within a fullerene cage. With potential applications ranging from 'tracers' in biological systems to qubits in quantum computers, endofullerenes - in common with the entire family of fullerene molecules - are an extremely important molecular material in state-of-the-art nanoscience. Despite this, there is a paucity of work related to elucidating the interactions of endofullerenes with solid surfaces - an essential prerequisite for very many nanotechnological applications.

For a detailed description of both the NANOCAGE project and the associated comprehensive PhD training programme, please see the original project proposal:

"Imaging, spectroscopy, and manipulation of caged atoms (NANOCAGE): a multi-faceted PhD training programme" [pdf document, 408 kB]