| Scope |
Mesoscopic phenomena span length scales that are considerably larger than atomic-bond distances, but small enough that classical continuum physics with averaged materials properties and behavior does not apply. The involved physical and chemical processes are bridging quantum-mechanical and continuum materials descriptions. Better understanding and control of these phenomena is critically important for improving the design, fabrication methods and functional performance of novel nano- and micro-structured materials. Many such systems exhibit intriguing behavior with nontrivial dependence of their mechanical, dielectric, optical and transport properties on shape, size, morphology and anisotropy of their constituent components. This symposium brings together experts from academia, industry, and national laboratories to discuss the current state-of-the-art in theoretical modeling, synthesis, characterization, processing and applications of functional polycrystalline materials, as well as related nanostructures and nanocomposites. |