Department of Materials and Interfaces 

Reshef Tenne, Head


The scientific research of the department focuses on the understanding and design of functional materials with unique physical and chemical properties. This includes a broad range of materials, such as solids with extended bonding displaying cooperative properties (superconductors and semiconductors); nanomaterials, like carbon nanotubes, and inorganic nanotubes; ultra thin ferroelectric films; solids and liquids with mainly molecular bonding, such as complex fluids and molecular crystals; ultra-thin organic, inorganic and biological films and assemblies; size-quantized nanoparticles and fulleroids; molecularly functionalized semiconductors; metals and polymers, including polymer brushes and polymers for cloud seeding; and nanocomposites displaying unique mechanical properties. Biopolymer mechanics and molecular transport phenomena in the cell; imitation of biological transport strategies. Planned self-assembly of novel nanostructures on scanning-probe-patterned organic monolayer templates. Three new research groups have been established: Dr. Ernesto Joselvich-carbon nanotubes and scanning probe microscopy; Dr. Roy Bar-Ziv-studies the mechanisms of biological transcription on silicon chip using microfabriction and microfluidics. Dr. Leeor Kronik- uses density functional theory to study clusters; nanocrystalline material and optical phenomena in semiconductors.
Several groups in the department are developing novel theoretical and experimental methodologies for probing liquid-liquid, solid-liquid, solid-solid, solid-gas and liquid-gas interfaces. These include force measurements techniques at Ångstrom surface separation; nanomechanical testing techniques; electrochemistry; grazing angle X-ray diffraction and X-ray reflectivity using bright and collimated light from synchrotron sources; second harmonic generation; optical tweezers; scanning probe microscopy and spectroscopy, grazing angle infrared spectroscopy; and unique applications of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Two new research facilities, which are used extensively by the department scientists, have been completed this year, i.e the high resolution electron microscopy laboratory, and the combined clean rooms/microfabrication/biological specimen manipulation laboratory.


D. Cahen 

POLY- & NANO-CRYSTALLINE SOLAR CELLS, THEIR CHEMISTRY & PHYSICS
D. Cahen, in cooperation with G. Hodes, S. Cohen, K. Gartsman; A. Zaban (Bar Ilan U)

  1.  Why do certain polycrystalline solar cells outperform than their single crystal analogues?

  2.  How and why do nanocrystalline solar cells work?

  3.  Molecular surface control over poly- and nano-crystalline solar cells.

  4.  Scanning probe & Electron beam methodologies for single grain and grain boundary characterization

PHOTO-ASSISTED WATER PURIFICATION
Explore possible use of mesoporous, nanoparticulate membrane electrodes.
D. Cahen, in cooperation with A. Zaban (Bar Ilan U), A. Abed Rabbo & H. Hallak (Bethlehem U)

MOLECULE-CONTROLLED ELECTRONICS, OPTOELECTRONICS & BIO-OPTOELECTRONICS
D. Cahen, in cooperation with R.Naaman, A.Shanzer, M.Sheves, M.vanderBoom; C.Sukenik(Bar Ilan), F.Diederich(ETHZ), A.Kahn & J.Schwartz(Princeton), G.Meyer(John Hopkins)

  1.  The importance of the chemical bond for contacts between molecules & electronic materials

  2.  What are unique molecular effects at electronic interfaces? Negative Differential Resistance and more

  3.  Preparation, characterization and device use of molecules at Interfaces

  4.  Metal-Molecular Monolayer-Semiconductor Junctions

  5.  Can bacteriorhodopsin serve as basis for a true bioelectronic device and how?

ELECTRON TRANSPORT ACROSS MOLECULES AND MOLECULAR LAYERS
D. Cahen, in cooperation with L. Kronik, G. Martin; A. Nitzan (Tel Aviv Univ.)

  1.  Understanding fundamental mechanisms for electronic charge transport hrough molecules?

  2.  How can information pass across supposedly insulating molecular layers?


M. Elbaum

Single-molecule manipulations using optical tweezers.

Dynamics of DNA uptake into the cell nucleus.

Structure and function of the nuclear pore complex (with Z. Reich): application of atomic force microscopy and advanced optical spectroscopies.

Anomalous diffusion in polymer networks and living cells (with R. Granek).

Organization of forces driving cell movements (with A. Bershadsky): optical force measurements and particle tracking studies; influence of cell biochemistry on biophysical forces.

Novel surface-patterning lithographies.


G. Hodes

Electrochemical and chemical deposition of nanocrystalline semiconductor quantum dot (QD) films.

Surface modification of semiconductor nanocrystals.

Charge transfer in QDs.

Thin film photovoltaic cells.


J. Klein

Experimental studies of surface structure and interactions, and of the behavior of confined simple and polymeric fluids.

Surface-forces-measurement techniques at angstrom surface separations; polymers as molecular lubricants; properties of thin liquid films including aqueous electrolytes and polyelectrolytes.

Nuclear reaction analysis investigations of polymer interfaces. Interfacial structure and phase equilibrium between incompatible polymers; studies of transport and self-diffusion in bulk polymers.

Wetting and stability of thin films; use of polymer surfactants to modify surface and interfacial behaviour.


L. Kronik

Spintronic materials: electronic and magnetic properties

Organic semiconductors: structural and electronic properties
L. Kronik, E. Umbach, C. Heske (U. Wurzburg, Germany)

Quantum dots: optical properties

Site-specific photoelectron spectroscopy: predicting & explaining experiment
L. Kronik, J. C. Woicik (NIST, USA)

Nano-clusters: non-equilibrium effects


I. Lubomirsky

Properties of Ultra-Thin Self-Supported Crystalline Oxide Films.

Infrared focal plane array based on freestanding pyroelectric films.

Oxygen ion transport in thin freestanding films.


S. Reich

Localized high Tc superconductivity was obtained on Na+ doped surface of WO3 crystals.

Cs+ and Rb+ surface doping is used to induce surface superconductivity in various crystallographic phases of WO3.


I. Rubinstein 

Self-assembled supramolecular systems on metal substrates.
I. Rubinstein, A. Shanzer, A. Vaskevich

Nanostructures based on surface-modified nanoparticles.
I. Rubinstein, A. Vaskevich

Coordination self-assembly of nanostructures comprising organic / inorganic building blocks.
I. Rubinstein, A. Vaskevich

Chemical and biological sensing using transmission surface plasmon resonance (T-SPR) spectroscopy.
I. Rubinstein, A. Vaskevich

Novel nanomaterials prepared by template synthesis in nanoporous alumina membranes.
I. Rubinstein, A. Vaskevich


S. Safran 

Statistical physics of soft matter:

  1.  Membrane self-assembly of surfactants, lipids, and amphiphilic polymers.

  2.  Coupling of shape and shear elasticity in membranes and in biological cells.

  3.  Microemulsions: structure, phase behavior, dynamics.

  4.  Membranes: tension induced fusion, inclusions (such as proteins) in membranes.

  5.  Fluctuation induced interactions in charged colloidal and membrane systems.


J. Sagiv

Studies on novel types of artificial organic-inorganic hybrid superlattice structures with intercalated metal or semiconductor nanoparticles, including collaborative work on characterization by synchrotron X-ray scattering, scanning probe microscopies and
J. Sagiv, R. Maoz

Self-replicating multilayers.
J. Sagiv, R. Maoz

Planned surface self-assembly of nanoscopic organic-inorganic architectures using a scanning probe initiated process of non-destructive nanoelectrochemical patterning of stable self-assembled monolayers.
J. Sagiv, R. Maoz, S. Cohen


R. Tenne

Inorganic nanotubes and inorganic fullerene-like materials: new materials with cage structure.


D. Wagner 

Interface micromechanics in composite materials, including characterization by micro-Raman spectroscopy.

Mechanics of single- and multi-wall carbon nanotubes, nanofibers and their composites.

Mechanics of biological composites.
D. Wagner, S. Weiner, L. Addadi