Physics of Matter: From the Nanoscale Structure to the Macroscopic Properties of Materials

The physicists of the Polytechnic University of Marche (UNIVPM) have been conducting research in the physics of matter since the early seventies. Here we report a number of topics of the research activities carried out by the physicists working at the Department of Materials, Environmental Sciences and Urban Planning (SIMAU) of the Engineering Faculty, limiting our review to arguments and methods that are currently subject of investigation. The main scientific achievements and the most promising future developments are highlighted. The main purpose of this activity is the study of the macroscopic properties of matter in connection with its atomic structure for a variety of materials of technological interest in physics, chemistry, engineering, biology and medicine. These investigations require experimental tools capable of accessing the materials structure at the nanoscale. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scattering techniques have represented the primary tool used to probe the structure of matter with atomic resolution, whereas electron microscopy techniques have provided complementary information on the structure and morphology of materials from the microscale down to the nanoscale. XRD studies have been performed using the X-ray instrumentation available at the departmental laboratories and, more recently, with the high-performance machines of the European synchrotron radiation facilities. Electron microscopy techniques have been implemented in an inter-departmental laboratory aimed at the structural and morphological characterization of soft and hard materials. The more recent set-up of laser optics laboratories has allowed an extended investigation of the properties of soft materials with focus on nonlinear optics of liquid crystalline and polymeric compounds.