General information

General information

Laboratory Physics for Cluster Structures is a subdivision of the Department of Solid-State Electronics of Ioffe Institute.

The laboratory was organized in March 1993 on the basis of a laboratory for the physics of doped semiconductors. The scientific core of the laboratory includes students of Yuri V. Shmartsev (1930-1993). For many years, the laboratory was successfully managed by Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor Alexander Vul'. In May 2023, the baton was taken over by his student, Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Artur Dideikin.

The activity of the laboratory includes development of the technology and study of the properties of new carbon nanostructures - nanodiamonds of detonation synthesis, graphene and graphene oxide; composite materials on their basis.

The technology of carbon nanostructures is one of the important directions of modern nanotechnologies. On the basis of such structures, new elements of electronics and optoelectronics are created, new types of composite materials, primarily with high thermal conductivity, new types of biomarkers, selective adsorbents and catalysts. At present, the subject of the laboratory covers the following fundamental and applied directions:

  • Mechanisms of structural phase transitions in a sequence of nanodiamonds - carbon onions - nanographite;
  • Magnetic properties of nanodiamonds and nanographite;
  • Thermoelectric effects in carbon nanostructures;
  • Spectra of electronic states and processes of field emission in nanocarbon structures;
  • Thermal conductivity of composite materials based on nanodiamonds;
  • Aggregation, self-organization and stability in two-phase liquid-nanodiamond systems;
  • Methods for purification and functionalization of the surface of detonation nanodiamonds, graphene and graphene oxide;
  • Development of a technology for the synthesis of few-layer graphene by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis;
  • Thermal conductivity and heat capacity of nanofluids with particles of few-layer graphene;
  • Thermophysical and strength properties of composites synthesized from two-dimensional carbon nanostructures.

Researches in laboratory are carried out in cooperation with other units of the Ioffe Institute and scientific centers in Russia and abroad on the basis of agreements on scientific cooperation (see the section "Cooperation").

Laboratory staff were the initiators and members of the organization and program committees of the periodic International Conference "Fullerenes and Atomic Clusters" (held since 1993 in St. Petersburg), now - Advanced Carbon NanoStructures, are the initiators and organizers of the International Symposium "Detonation Nanodiamonds. Technology, Properties, Applications ".

Laboratory staff includes 12 researchers (D.Sc. and Ph.D), 5 engineers and technicians. In scientific research conducted in laboratory are constantly participating postgraduate students of Ioffe Institute, St. Petersburg Polytechnic University and Technological University.