Structure & Dynamics of Soft Surfaces & Interfaces (SDSSI) workshop

Dates:

3 - 5 February 2009

Venue:

ILL, Chadwick Amphitheatre, Grenoble, France

Organizing Committee:

Oleg Konovalov, ESRF, Grenoble,

Diego Pontoni, ESRF, Grenoble

Anders Madsen, ESRF, Grenoble

Fabienne Mengoni, ESRF, Grenoble

Aim of the workshop

A fundamental understanding of the static and dynamic aspects of nano-scale order formation at surfaces and buried interfaces is essential for the development of future nanotechnologies. Order at interfaces can appear at the molecular level (hydrocarbons, surfactants) or at a supra-molecular scale (nanoparticles, proteins). Particularly challenging is the investigation of buried solid/liquid and liquid/liquid interfaces, where the use of state of the art synchrotron and neutron facilities becomes necessary.

By gathering experimenters and theoreticians studying the microstructure and dynamics of soft-matter at solid/liquid/vapor interfaces, this workshop aims at (i) reviewing the current status of the research, (ii) highlighting the most compelling future scientific challenges, and (iii) further clarifying the contribution of the ESRF Upgrade Program to this field.

Topics include interface phase transitions, dynamics of nanoparticles at surfaces/interfaces, hard X-ray studies of buried liquid/liquid interfaces, microstructural effects of nano-scale confinement. Systems range from simple bulk alkanes, to thin block copolymer films, to buried nanoparticle layers. Techniques include reflectivity, grazing incidence scattering/diffraction, and surface X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy. Technical discussion will focus in particular onto the further exploitation of high energies and coherence for the study of soft interfaces at the ESRF.

The Organisers

Program
Talks