Thesis supervisor: Péter Gurin
Location of studies (in Hungarian): University of Pannonia, Institute of Physics and Mechatronics Abbreviation of location of studies: PE
Description of the research topic:
There is a growing experimental and theoretical interest to understand the nature of glassy behaviours, jamming properties and structural transitions of confined nanoparticles in material science. This is due to the progress made in the experimental realisation of such nanoconfined colloids where almost two- and even one-dimensional restrictions can be achieved. This can be done with confining the particles between two parallel plates and with absorption of the particles into tubular nanopores. In the case of slit-like pore (parallel plates) it is often found that the first order nature of the phase transitions such as the fluid-solid weakens with the decreasing pore width and a Kosterlitz-Thouless type continuous transition emerges in very narrow pores. Similar phenomenon happens in the cylindrical pore, too, with a difference that the first order transitions disappear completely below a critical radius of the pore because the system becomes practically one-dimensional and the particles are not allowed to pass each other. Even new structures emerge with the positional restriction such as the hexatic, tetratic and helical arrangements. Moreover, disordered structures can emerge, and the question of jamming and glassy behaviour is in focus, too. To understand the nature of ordering in confinement, simple models must be introduced, which can be studied with simulation and theoretical methods exactly.
The task of the phd applicant is to construct new models and examine the structural properties of nanoconfined colloids. The applied theoretical methods are the transfer operator method, density functional theories and Monte Carlo simulation. Colloids with several shapes such spherical, rectangular and cylindrical are going to be placed between planar walls and into cylindrical pore to examine the effect of particle-particle and particle-wall interactions on the stability of isotropic fluid phase, mesophases and crystalline structures.
Our group has published several papers in the field of confined fluids in the last 10 years. (The supervisor has 10 SCI paper in the last 5 years with cummulative impact factor ≈ 25.) Our basic ideas rely on the exactly solvable models of one-dimensional fluids and we try to extend the transfer operator method for wider pores. We have also solid background in the application of density functional theories which were applied for colloidal liquid crystals in our published papers. We perform our research in international collaborations with Spanish, Mexican and Iranian research groups.
Number of students who can be accepted: 1
Deadline for application: 2018-06-30
2024. IV. 17. ODT ülés Az ODT következő ülésére 2024. június 14-én, pénteken 10.00 órakor kerül sor a Semmelweis Egyetem Szenátusi termében (Bp. Üllői út 26. I. emelet).
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