Scope:
The understanding of crystallization and self-assembly is of pivotal importance for our ability to design nanostructured materials with tailored structures and properties. Traditional scientific and technological divisions of the fields of crystallization, biomineralisation, colloidal self-assembly based on the size and nature of the building blocks are now being removed and a unified picture of the mechanisms and pathways is evolving. This course aims to give the participants an understanding of the basis for the processes and present numerous examples.
Topics that will be covered:

• Classical theories on crystallization and nucleation
• Fundamentals of nucleation and crystallization: both classical and non-classical theories and concepts
• Colloidal self-assembly
• Mesocrystals: examples and mechanisms
• Biomineralisation
• Biomimetic design of advanced materials

Date:
The course will start with lunch on Monday, August 22 and continue until Friday morning, August 26. The first lecture is given at 13.00 on Monday and the last lecture finishes at 10.30 on Friday. Wednesday afternoon is free for recreation.

Place:
Ljungbergsgården, Tynningö, Stockholm Archipelago.
See their website for travel directions.

Course material:
The course is based on the book, Helmut Cölfen and Markus Antonietti, “Mesocrystals and Nonclassical Crystallization”, Wiley 2008, and handouts by the lecturers. All participants will receive the book free of charge.

Lecturers:
Markus Antonietti (Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces, Golm, Germany)
Lennart Bergström (Stockholm University)
Helmut Cölfen (University of Konstanz, Germany)
Niklas Hedin (Stockholm University)
Viveka Alfredsson (Lund University)

Registration:
To apply to the summer school send an email to Erik Wetterskog not later than June 15, 2011. The number of participants is limited to 30 and there is a priority to those students enrolled in Chalmers Soft Matter Graduate School at Chalmers University of Technology; other students and participants are accepted on a first come, first serve basis. The summer school is free of charge for all students doing their PhD at a Swedish University. For students abroad and other participants, the fee is 3500 SEK (incl. accommodation and all meals; excl. VAT).

Examination:
The students are expected to work actively during the course. The participants will receive material to study in advance. During the course there will be individual assignments and individual presentations. We recommend that students after completing the course will be given 4.5 ECTS.

Contact:
Lennart Bergström (course leader).
Erik Wetterskog (registration and practical issues).

Tentative Schedule:
Monday, August 22
13-13.20
Introduction to the course
Lennart Bergström

13.20-15.00
Physico-chemical principles of nucleation and crystallisation
Helmut Cölfen

15.30-17.00
Discrepancies and non-classical crystallisation
Helmut Cölfen

18.00
Dinner

Tuesday, August 23
9-10.30
Self-assembly and self-organisation: fundamentals, mechanisms and building blocks
Lennart Bergström

11.00-12.00
Colloidal and nanoparticle self-assembly
Lennart Bergström

Lunch:
12.00-13.30

13.30-15.00
Mesocrystal systems
Helmut Cölfen

15.30-17.00
Mechanisms of mesocrystal formation
Helmut Cölfen

18.00
Dinner

20.00-21.30
Evening session with project work

Wednesday, August 24
9-10.30
Oriented attachment and hierarchically structured crystals
Helmut Cölfen

11-12.30
Biomineralisation
Helmut Cölfen

12.30-13.30
Lunch

13.30-17.30
Free time

18.00
School dinner

Thursday, August 25
9-10.30
Mesoporous materials
Viveka Alfredsson

11-12.30
Biomimetic routes to nanostructured calcium carbonate and silica materials
Niklas Hedin

12.30-13.30
Lunch

13.30-15.00
Session with project work

15.30-17.00
Examples of biomimetic energy and climate mitigating materials
Markus Antonietti

18.00
Dinner

Friday, August 26
9.00-10.30
Biomimetic pathways to advanced materials
Markus Antonietti

10.30
Departure