Colloquium

The building block of nanotechnology is the nanomaterials. The fascination and great technical promises associated with nanoscale materials are based on the significant changes in their fundamental physical and chemical properties. For eventual engineering applications of nanomaterials, an ability to control not only their intrinsic structures and properties but also their basic geometry in terms of diameter, length, alignment, periodicity and spacing is essential. Synthesis of complex or advanced shapes and nanocomposites deviating from a simplistic circular or linear geometry is also useful for some applications. In this talk, some unique examples of controlling the geometry of nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes, Ti-oxide nanotubes, magnetic nanoparticles, nanoislands, and other nanostructures will be described, and the implications of such geometry controls for potential electronic, chemical, mechanical and bio applications will be discussed.