The Science and Technology Campus of the University of Parma hosts the 18th International Summer School on Crystal Growth (ISSCG-18) from 24 to 28 July. Co-organized by the University and the IMEM-CNR Institute, the school will gather around 130 participants from all continents.
Advances in science and technology very often depend on the availability of new artificial functional materials. The functional properties of materials (electrical, magnetic and optical in the first place) are directly related to the chemical composition and the microscopic structure of the materials, and occur almost exclusively in materials in the crystalline solid state. When we speak of crystals we must therefore not think of anything "esoteric", but of essential components of our daily life: a common smartphone, for example, contains at least a dozen crystals of different materials, and if today X-rays provide in time the real image without passing through photographic plates is because scintillator crystals have been developed, which convert X-ray photons into photons of visible light, detectable by a common camera and then digitalised. But the most impressive example is given by Silicon: a simple semiconductor element that allows you to have computers and an entire digital world, from telecommunications to the intelligent washing machine. What would our society be like today without silicon monocrystals?
The importance of crystallogenesis is not only related to the field of functional materials, but it extends to medicine, mineralogy, pharmaceutical and food industries. Kidney stones and sugar are crystals, the active ingredient in many drugs is also a crystal, and the appearance and texture of chocolate is a function of how the cocoa butter is crystallized.
The topic of ISSCG-18 is "how to grow" crystals, in massive form, or as nanostructures and thin films. The school, sponsored by the International Organization for Crystal Growth (IOCG) every three years, is directed by Roberto Fornari of the University of Parma and by Edmondo Gilioli of the IMEM-CNR Institute. The lessons are divided into three blocks: theoretical foundations of crystalline growth, growth processes and technologies, examples and case studies. Three evening visits to the IMEM crystal-growth laboratories are also planned.
ISSCG-18, which anticipates the International Conference on Crystal Growth and Epitaxy (ICCGE-20), is a truly international event, with students arriving from Korea to Japan, from Australia to Brazil, from Russia to the United States: all motivated to learn how to "arrange atoms or molecules" to obtain inorganic, organic or biological crystals, useful for the study of fundamental properties and for new applications.
Login [restricted area]
Intranet
Webmail
LinkedIn