Physics and Chemistry of Nanoclusters

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The first Catsense Summer School: 'Physics and Chemistry of Nanoclusters' was held from September 7th to September 11th, 2015 in Hof Bladelin an historical landmark located in the center of Bruges. 

The aim of the School is to present the state-of-the-art and the future perspectives of metal clusters and cluster materials, from fundamentals in Physics and Chemistry to selected applications in Catalysis and Sensing.

Lectures will be given by some of the most recognized academic and industrial experts in the field, merging Physics, Chemistry and Engineering knowledge.

Topics covered by the school include: Physics of metal clusters: from synthesis to advanced characterization techniques; Optical and Electronic properties of single and ensemble clusters; Theoretical modeling and screening process with advanced DFT methods; Catalysis with nanoclusters: from electro-chemical characterization to Fuel cell and Biosensing applications; Nanosafety and Toxicity.

The School will be a great opportunity for master and doctoral students from around the World to meet established experts of this field in a friendly atmosphere, reaping benefit in terms of enthusiasm, knowledge and new ideas and benefitting the future of mankind.

Keynote speakers:

•LAURA ASHFIELD (JOHNSON MATTHEY RESEARCH CENTER, UK)

• SARA BALS (UNIVERSITY OF ANTWERP, Belgium)

• IB CHORKENDORFF (TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY DENMARK, Denmark)

• EWALD JANSSENS (KU LEUVEN, Belgium)

• HELINOR JOHNSTON (HERIOT WATT UNIVERSITY EDINBURGH, UK)

• ELENA JUBETE (IK4 CIDETEC, Spain)

• PAOLO MILANI (UNIVERSITY OF MILAN, Italy)

• GIANFRANCO PACCHIONI (UNIVERSITY OF MILAN-BICOCCA, Italy)

• RICHARD PALMER (UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM, UK)

• YOSI SHACHAM (TEL-AVIV UNIVERSITY, Israel)

• MARGRIET VAN BAEL (KU LEUVEN, Belgium)

• FLORENT TOURNUS (UNIVERSITÉ DE LYON, France)

• MASSIMO ZIMBONE (CNR-IMM, Italy)

Chair:

• Peter Lievens (KU Leuven, Belgium)

Scientific Secretary:

• Didier Grandjean (KU Leuven, Belgium)

Covered Topics :

• PHYSICS OF METAL NANOCLUSTERS
• SYNTHESIS METHODS AND CHARACTERIZATION TECHNIQUES
• OPTICAL AND ELECTRONIC PROPERTIES: FROM THEORY TO EXPERIMENTS
• CATALYSIS WITH NANOCLUSTERS
• ELECTROCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION
• FUEL CELL & BIOSENSING APPLICATIONS
• COMMERCIAL ISSUES
• INNOVATION AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
• NANOSAFETY AND TOXICOLOGY

Excursions:

• Guided tour of the historical city of Bruges
• Visit and dinner at Halvemaan Brewery in Bruges

Assessment 

In order to qualify for the three credit points (3 ECTS), the students need to attend all (but one) lectures.

For evaluation purposes, each student will write a paper (in English, between ten and fifteen pages) related to one (or more) of the presentations at the summer school. The students can freely choose the presentation on which they will work.

This paper should contain an introduction to the topic, an overview of the state of the art in the research domain, an overview of the most important relevant experimental techniques and theoretical methods and insights, the most important results presented at the summer school and a vision on future developments in the relevant research area. The paper will not be limited to material presented at the school, but students should carry out additional literature research. The plan, contents, global vision and technical quality of the paper will be graded by the school organizers and the relevant speaker.

Evaluation

This paper should contain an introduction to the topic, an overview of the state-of-the-art in the research domain, an overview of the most relevant experimental techniques and theoretical methods and insights, the most important results presented at the summer school and a vision on future developments in the relevant research area. The paper will not be limited to material presented at the school, but students should carry out additional literature research. The plan, contents, global vision and technical quality of the paper will be graded on a scale from 0 to 20, distributed and with the criteria listed as follows:

The plan (2.5):

Does the manuscript contain the following aspects? 

• Introduction to the topic?
• Description of the state of the art?
• Overview of the most important relevant experimental techniques and theoretical methods and insights? 
• Description of the most important results at the summer school? 
• Vision on future developments in the relevant research area? 

Answer Yes/No: for each section which is missing: -0.75 

Contents (10)

• Is the paper/presentation scientifically correct? (2,5) 
• Is the topic treated with sufficient depth? (2,5) 
• Did the student carry out additional literature research? (2,5)
• Quality of the vision/future developments? (2,5)

[1-extremely poor (0.25); 2-very poor (0.50); 3-poor (1.00); 4-average (1.50); 5-good (1,75) ; 6-very good (2.00); and 7-excellent (2.50)]

Technical quality (7.5)

• Is this a good paper in terms of style / language? (2,5) 
• Is there a good balance between the different parts? (2,5) 
• Is the paper/presentation presented in a way that allows you to gain understanding in the described topic? (2,5) 

[1-extremely poor (0.25); 2-very poor (0.50); 3-poor (1.00); 4-average (1.50); 5-good (1,75) ; 6-very good (2.00); and 7-excellent (2.50)]

The total mark on 20 will be converted to the ECTS label according to the regulations of the Faculty of Science, KU Leuven, see: http://wet.kuleuven.be/internationalisering/grading-scale-faculteit-wetenschappen-engels.

Deadline

The paper needs to be submitted in electronic form (by e-mail to the school organizers) at the latest by October 15th, 2015.

Registration:

• The number of participants is limited to 35 with a priority for Master students and starting PhD students.
• Registration fee for all participants is 200 Euros (5 days) including lunches, coffee breaks, handouts and excursions
• Pre-registration CLICK HERE! .
• The 35 selected participants will be informed from the first week of August and can subsequently register.

Accommodation:
A large number of hotels are within walking distance of Hof Bladelin.

Traveling Guide to Bruges

By Plane

• Via Brussels National Airport (BRU): The national airport receives flights from over 200 destinations in 66 countries every day. It's easy to travel from Brussels national airport to Bruges by train. There are two Intercity trains every hour with final stops in either Ostend or Knokke/Blankenberge. One is direct from Brussels national airport to Bruges (1h30). For the second IC service you need to change trains in Brussels North (Brussel Nord), Central or Midi. You can find more information about schedules and fares at Belgian Railways (NMBS).

• Via Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL): This airport receives only low-cost flights (Ryanair, Wizz, etc. ) from all over Europe. It is located 50 km south of Brussels but has good bus connections with Brussels and Bruges. You can use the shuttle service to Brussels-Midi station (50 min every 30 min) and take a train to Bruges. Alternatively the bus company Flibco runs a direct bus service to the station of Bruges (2 h) with a frequency of 9 trips a day. For both connections you will pay a surcharge on the bus or at the airport so booking online is recommended.

By Train

The Brussels Midi station is the Belgian hub for international train traffic, receiving multiple high-speed trains per day from Paris (Thalys and TGV), Lille (Eurostar and TGV), London (Eurostar), Amsterdam (Thalys) and Cologne (Thalys and ICE). Every hour, there are two intercity trains that leave Brussels Midi that stop in Bruges (1 h), with final stops in either Ostend or Knokke/Blankenberge. For tickets and more info click here.

In Bruges

From the railway station of Bruges, best is to walk directly to your accommodation. You can alternatively take a De Lijn bus (every 5 minutes) or a taxi. A (one-way) bus ticket is valid for one hour. You pay € 1.30 at the De Lijn counter and € 2 on the bus. When you have a Bruges City Card, you can buy a De Lijn three-day pass at the special price of € 6. This pass is valid on all buses and trams in Flanders. The pass can be purchased together with the Bruges City Card at the tourist office at the station.

Parking facilities:

On-street parking 

Chargeable parking applies in the Bruges city centre on all days of the week: 
• Monday-Sunday 09.00-12.00/22.00 hours*. 
• Max parking duration: 2 hours
• parking rates : 1st hour € 1.80, 2nd hour: € 2.40. 
Parking till 22.00 hours applies in the area West-Brugge

Car parks

Cheap parking is possible on the big parking lot of the railway station of Bruges. The parking fee is € 0.70/hour, daily maximum € 3.50. The city centre is on walking distance. Free public transport with bus for 3 persons is available.

If you like to park more than 2 hours you better visit one of the car parks near the centre of Bruges. Parking rates: € 1.40/hour, daily maximum is € 8.70. Specials rates apply for evening and overnight parking. 

Programme 

It is provided in the programme box below. The participant list will not be provided in the box below.