Nanowires: Small but mighty building blocks for efficient electronics

Mon 13 March 2023

Department of Chemistry

A lecture by Professor Hannah Joyce, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge.

The fifth talk in a series of lectures organised by the Cambridge Philosophical Society in the Lent Term 2023.

Abstract: Nanowires” are filamentary crystals with diameters less than 1000th that of a human hair. They exhibit host of extraordinary properties due to their one-dimensional geometry, that, if harnessed, could help solve some of the most pressing problems facing society: energy security, climate change and connectivity. Somewhat paradoxically, the one-dimensional geometry that confers these amazing properties also creates challenges. How do you create something so small, reproducibly? How can you measure their electrical properties? And how can you integrate them into real-world electronics? In this talk I will discuss methods of “growing” these nanowires from the bottom - up, contact-free schemes for measuring the intriguing electrical properties of these nanowires, and strategies for integrating nanowires into electronic devices that possess either entirely new functionality, or enhanced performance.

Cost: free