How do the Size, Shape and Crystal Structure of Materials affect their Mechanical Properties

University of Notre Dam, Indiana, USA.

Friday 12^th May 2006, 3.30PM, Seminar Room AR103, Graduate Research Centre.

Many properties of materials change when their dimensions are reduced into the nanometer size range. The best-known examples are the size dependent changes in the absorption and scattering spectra of semiconductor and metal particles - the later are responsible for the brilliant colours of stained glasses.

In this talk I will discuss how the elastic properties of materials change with size. The emphasis will be on recent results obtained in my laboratory for metal particles with complicated shapes, such as, nanorods, nanocubes, and nanoboxes (hollow cubes).

These experiments are performed using time-resolved spectroscopy. I will also talk about energy dissipation from these particles - which is important for applications such as photothermal therapy (where laser excitation of metal particles is used to selectively kill cells).

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