Low dimensional systems refer to materials of unusual structure that extend to less than three dimensions. This may be because their lattice structures resemble sheets (two dimensional) or chains (one dimensional), or because they exist as thin films or surface layers, or needles, or clusters (zero dimensional) with their short dimensions going to the scale of atoms (i.e. nanometre, nm).
In recent years physicists and chemists have devoted increasing attentions to these materials systems, and the interest is expected to rise further in the near future, for reasons that can be broadly summarised as follow: in electronics, the ever greater complexity in microprocessor and memory chips means every two years there is a doubling of chip density. This lead to individual electronic component having dimension in 100 nm or smaller, bringing these electronics components into the low dimensional regime. Low dimensional electronic devices exhibits novel electronic and optical properties. This was demonstrated in the 1970s with the fabrication of quantum well and superlattice devices. Moreover, as materials science makes tremendous progress we are discovering more and more substances with low dimensional crystal structures, examples being the high-temperature superconducting larger compounds, that contain sheets of copper and oxygen atoms, and the fullerites, solids with lattices of zero-dimension clusters of 60 or more carbon atoms.
On-going work in the Department of Physics include:
- Solid C60 for Intercalation,
- Nanostructured composite materials for super-dielectric applications,
- Layer perovskite materials for magnetic applications, and,
- Ceramic superconductors for levitation applications
