Simulation of Nanosystems for Energy Conversion

Head: Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Alessio Gagliardi
Nanotechnology  is the manipulation of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal of precisely manipulating atoms and molecules for fabrication of macroscale products, also now referred to as molecular nanotechnology. A more generalized description of nanotechnology was subsequently established as the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers. This definition reflects the fact that quantum mechanical effects start to become important at this  scale.
Nanotechnology opens the possibility of designing new materials tayloring directly mechanical, thermal, optical, electrical and magnetic properties in order to optimize and improve device performance. Renewable energy technologies (thermoelectrics, photovoltaics, triboelectrics, etc.) are all benefitting from nanotechnology. Due to the sometime expensive fabrication processes, or due to the wide range of possibilities or difficulty in probing the working device, numerical simulations are one or the only viable way to understand the physics behind devices and how to improve them.

We form a research and teaching unit with following other professorships

Chair of Nano- and Quantum Sensors

Head: Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Eva Maria Weig
Adjunct Teaching Professor: PD. Dr.-Ing. habil. Markus Becherer

Molecular Electronics

Head: Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Marc Tornow