Nanophysics is just physics but at micro- and nano-scale. Surprisingly or not it is observed that at these subscales compared to our everyday life experience new physical phenomena are found, that are not known or are insignificant ar macro-scale. At this, developing web site, we will attempt to give a systematic description of some of these effects. There are many of them. Mostly, they are related to increasingly significant role of quantum phenomena at small distances. Some may be due to increase of surface to volume ratio when object size decreases. More important then is the role of quantum confinement effects. Quantum tunneling plays role at meso- and nano-scale, an effect that largely has been neglected in design and analysis of electronic devices, so far. Ballistic transport, which is a result of quantum tunneling, is still not broadly known, even between physicists. It has a huge impact on understanding of electrical and thermal conductcivity at nanoscales. Entirely new phenomena have been predicted and observed: topological insulators, Casimir effect. At low-size scale optical absorption and transparency of nanoparticles changes, luminescence from localized quantum states is found, melting temperature of metals is different, Curie temperature is not the same, materials that are metals at "normal" sizes may become insulataors at nanoscale, and vice versa, metals that are stable could become combustible, new catalythic materials are found. The basics of these physical phenomena, together with underlying quantum mechanical mechanisms will be addressed.
|