Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

Design of new nanostructured materials having multiple tunable degrees of freedom is at heart of many emerging technologies. Simultaneous control of the functional properties in such materials opens possibilities for conceptually new applications at the nanoscale. Our research program is generally concerned with multifunctional nanomaterials that combine tunable optical, electrical, and magnetic properties, with the goal to understand their electronic structure and physical properties, including the interactions among different degrees of freedom.<br /> <br /> A significant part of our research involves manipulation of the functional properties in various complex nanosystems using magnetic field as an external parameter. These efforts mostly rely on different magnetic and magneto-optical measurements, requiring liquid helium for the operation of the superconducting magnets. The supply of helium as a natural resource has reached alarmingly low levels, indicating further shortages and increasingly prohibitive cost for academic research. In this proposal we request funding for the acquisition of the helium reliquefying system for the Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS), which is the workhorse instrument for the described measurements in my laboratory. The acquisition of this system will allow us to continuously operate PPMS infrastructure and expand its capability, which will significantly increase the rate of our scientific discoveries in a field that is fast expanding and has become an important part of the Canadian economy.