Michigan Technological University
Department of Physics

is pleased to announce a colloquium

with

Yoke Khin Yap

Atomic bond control of frontier carbon materials: thin films, nanotubes, and nanostructures

The potential impact of pure carbon materials like diamond and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on new science and technology is enormous. These materials are useful for superhard coatings, mechanical reinforcement, and nanoscale electronic devices. While it is important to scrutinize the prospects of pure carbon solids, we must look beyond them and search for new materials within the B-C-N triangle. These materials are constructed from the smallest atoms that can form the shortest and strongest covalent bonds in solids. They could be thin films, nanotubes, and new nanostructures of carbon, or compounds constructed of multiple elements using B, C and N atoms. They are commonly called frontier carbon materials because of their flexibility to form various covalent bonds like those in pure carbon materials. These materials are expected to have appealing properties like superhardness, wide energy band gap, and nanodimension. The ability to control atomic bond, and composition of frontier carbon materials are important to create new materials.

I will talk about atomic bond control of boron nitride (BN) and carbon nitride (CN) thin films. Discussion will be continued on the formation of boron carbon nitride (BCN) fibrous nanostructures, flower-like carbon structures, and carbon nanotubes with 0.4 nm core dimensions.

Thursday, November 14, 2002

4:00 p.m., Fisher 139

Refreshments will be served

MTU | Physics | Colloquium