It is now some 15 years since atomic clusters were first produced and investigated in laboratories. Since then, knowledge concerning clusters has enjoyed rapid and sustained growth, and cluster research has become a new branch of science.

Contents: Metal clusters; Silicon clusters; Non-metallic clusters; Cluster structure; Transformations in metallic and non metallic clusters; Cluster sources and synthesis of clusters; Cluster/surface interactions; Thin films; Cluster assemblies; Structure of nanophase materials; Synthesis and processing of nanophase materials; Properties of nanophase materials; Late news session buckyballs, new materials made from carbon soot.

This book supplies a systematic description of the preparation, characterization, and manipulation of cluster beams for the synthesis of nanocrystalline materials. It addresses all issues relevant to the realization of nanophase structures, providing an excellent introduction for scientists working in different fields. Particular emphasis is placed on using the technique for nanostructured materials and on explaining the role of cluster beams within the context of other experimental techniques in surface-science.

Our work falls naturally into three categories: (1) local density calculations of cluster structures and the development of classical potentials, (2) simulation of thermodynamic properties of clusters and their fusion, and (3) macroscopic (continuum theory) modeling of the sintering process. These topics will be addressed in turn. Although the nominal focus of the proposal is on sintering processes, many issues important to sintering are generic in nature and thus also important in other areas of cluster science. These issues have been approached from a broad perspective, leading to results which impact the whole field of clusters and cluster-assembled materials.

In the past few years, atom clusters with diameters in the range of 2--20 nm of a variety of materials, including both metals and ceramics, have been synthesized by evaporation and condensation in high-purity gases and subsequently consolidated in situ under ultrahigh vacuum conditions to create nanophase materials. These new utlrafine-grained materials have properties that are often significantly different and considerably improved relative to those of their coarser-grained counterparts owing to both their small grain-size scale and the large percentage of their atoms in grain boundary environments. Since their properties can be engineered during the synthesis and processing steps, cluster-assembled materials appear to have significant potential for the introduction of a hierarchy of both structure and properties. Some of the recent research on nanophase materials related to properties and scale are reviewed and some of the possibilities for synthesizing hierarchical nanostructures via cluster assembly are considered.

Cluster Beam Deposition of Functional Nanomaterials and Devices, Volume 15, provides up-to-date information on the CBD of novel nanomaterials and devices. The book offers an overview of gas phase synthesis in a range of nanoparticles, along with discussions on the development of several devices and applications. Applications include, but are not limited to catalysis, smart nanocomposites, nanoprobes, electronic devices, gas sensors and biosensors. This is an important reference source for materials scientists and engineers who want to learn more about this sustainable, innovative manufacturing technology. - Explores the use of CBD for the fabrication of functionalized nanomaterials and devices - Shows how CBD is used for both sensing and biomedical applications - Discusses how this emerging technology is being commercialized for use on a large-scale

This book covers the synthesis and characterization of materials with atomic dimension. These include atomic clusters, nanostructured materials, multilayers and one-dimensional arrays. The effect of reduced size and dimensionality on electronic, magnetic, optical and catalytic properties and the technological prospects of atomically engineered materials is highlighted.