Nanotechnology researchers from Moscow visiting CFN

In the course of an information travel to major locations of nanotechnology research in Baden-Württemberg, Professor Alexei R. Khokhlov, Vice Rector of the renowned Lomonossov University (Moscow State University), visited the DFG Center for Functional Nanostructures (CFN). The Russian state award laureate was accompanied by 18 scientists working in the field of nanotechnology at his university and at the Ufa State Aviation Technical University and the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow.

Professor Thomas Schimmel and his staff guided the 19 delegation members through the research facilities of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), including the CFN, the Institute of Nanotechnology (INT), the Laboratory for Electron Microscopy, the "Physikalisches Institut", and the Institute of Applied Physics. Schimmel is professor at the Institute of Applied Physics, founding member of CFN, spokesman of the “Functional Nanostructures”network of competence, co-founder of the INT, and head of the INT Nanostructuring and Scanning Probe Technique Group.

The scientists were informed about the status of research into the single-atom transistor by the Schimmel team, work relating to the transmission electron microscope (FEI Titanium Cubed 80-300) by the team of Professor Dagmar Gerthsen (Laboratory for Electron Microscopy), and about fundamental research relating to superconducting qubits by the team of Professor Alexey Ustinov (Physikalisches Institut). Apart from their activities in the field of battery research and carbon nanotubes and nanoparticles, INT researchers also presented the newly discovered Salvinia effect for retaining air layers under water.

Together with the “Functional Nanostructures” network of competence and Ulm University, bw-i (Baden-Württemberg International) organized the trip of one week duration to the universities of Karlsruhe, Ulm, and Stuttgart in early May on the occasion of the start of the German-Russian Year of Education, Science, and Innovation.

The universities had established first contacts two years ago when the Nanotechnology Science Forum visited Moscow within the framework of the Baden-Württemberg Days. At that time, Schimmel, together with Khokhlov, organized the Baden-Württemberg-Russian Nanotechnology Symposium in Moscow. This contact was now deepened by the visit of the Russian delegation and will be further developed by the concrete planning of cooperation projects.