40 Years of Surface Science and Nanotechnology (40Nano)

In his Monday morning presentation, Charlie Campbell (University of Washington, Seattle) underscored the pivotal role of surface science tools in advancing the development of superior heterogeneous catalysts.Following this, Andrew Gellman (Carnegie-Mellon, Pittsburgh) delved into chiral surface chemistry.In his contribution he showed that decomposition chemistry of tartaric acid proceeds with high enantiospecificity on surfaces with opposite handedness.Roman Fasel (Empa) took center stage to discuss graphene nanomaterials, exploring the manifestation of magnetism in extended π-electron systems through topological constraints.In the Monday afternoon session, Junfa Zhu (USTC Hefei) discussed on-surface chemistry with coinage metal surfaces, utilizing Ullmann, Glaser, and Sonogashira coupling reactions.Katharina Franke (FU Berlin) followed, highlighting the physics of single magnetic atoms on superconducting surfaces and in Josephson junctions.The Tuesday morning session began with Thomas Bürgi (University Geneva) unveiling remarkable dynamics in chiral gold and silver nanoclusters.Subsequently, Daniel Bürgler (Peter-Grünberg Institute, Jülich) explored enantioselective adsorption phenomena of chiral helicenes on ferromagnetic cobalt nanoislands.Maki Kawai, the former president of the Chemical Society of Japan and current president of the Japanese National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS), discussed the manipulation of single molecules with STM.Through inelastic electron tunneling, molecules undergo vibrational excitation and exhibit various dynamic responses, including hopping, rotation, desorption, and chemical reactions.Twisted crystals emerge in response to high crystallographic driving forces, as Bart Kahr (New Yo rk University) elucidated through compelling optical and electron micrographs of a diverse range of materials.Michael Gottfried (Philipps-University Marburg) introduced novel carbon allotropes generated by on-surface chemistry, characterized using scanning probe methods (SPM).Wednesday morning focused on advancements in the study of the mechanical properties of proteins.Viola Vo gel (ETH Zurich) detailed how cells utilize protein stretching to sense mechanical stimuli, while also proposing new nanosensors to aid in the comprehension of these processes.Henry Hess (Columbia University, New Yo rk) presented innovative hybrid nanodevices built on microtubules and motor proteins like kinesin.Tibor Kudernac (University Groningen) introduced the engineering of artificial microtubules, drawing inspiration from principles observed in cellular microtubules.