• Investigations of magnetism and confined to thin-films, surfaces, interfaces, and nanostructured materials. The work involves both fundamental studies and applications, such as next-generation data storage and spintronic devices.
  • Spin textures and dynamics at interfaces
  • Magnetic anisotropy engineering
  • Magnetotransport phenomena 
  • Magnetic nanoparticles
  • Magnetic topological materials
  • 2D magnets
  • Magnetic skyrmions
  • Multiferroic materials
  • Magneto-plasmonics
  • Exchange bias and interface engineering
  • Magneto-optical effects in nanostructures
  • Spin-orbitronics
  • Imaging and spectroscopic techniques
  • Synchrotron, neutron, ion-beam (accelerator) characterisation

• Advanced materials and technologies for solar cells and photovoltaic systems.
• Storage solutions, such as batteries, supercapacitors.
• Hydrogen production, storage, and utilisation.
• Geothermal energy.
• Biomass and waste materials.
• Fusion/Fission.
• Policies and markets for sustainable energy transitions.
• Life cycle assessment and environmental impact analysis.
• Themoelectrics.
• Electrophotocatalysis.

• This division focuses on the application of the concepts and tools of surface science to problems in solid state physics and chemistry and materials science and technology. Current emphasis is on characterisation of surfaces and interfaces and the quantification of surface analysis techniques. The division represents IUVSTA on ISO Committee TC201 on Surface Chemical Analysis.
  • Analysis of material surfaces, thin films, interphases, and interfaces
  • Metals, semiconductors, insulators, polymers, and organics
  • Coatings, adhesion, catalysis, corrosion, and wear
  • Grain boundaries, and diffusion
  • Sensors, and electronic devices
  • Biomaterials, and self-assembled monolayers
  • Surface reactions, and contamination
  • Sputtering, and depth profiling
  • Techniques:
    • AES/XPS/ISS/SIMS/SNMS/RBS/TXRF/SPM
    • Synchrotron (photon), Neutron,  Accelerator (ion) based
  • Developments in instrumentation and data processing
  • Quantitative surface, depth, and interface analysis
  • Development of reference materials and standards

• This division focuses on the science and technology pertaining to preparation, growth, processing and characterisation of materials used in device fabrication. Typical interests include silicon and compound semiconductors, the structure of interfaces and their growth and processing, CVD and MBE deposition, e-beam and photo-lithography, plasma- and ion-etching techniques, surface chemical behaviour, quantum well structures, opto-electronics, VLSI/submicron devices, interconnects and packaging.
  • Fundamental mechanisms in dry etching
  • New developments in lithography
  • Fundamental properties of superlattices
  • Applications of high speed semiconductors
  • Metal/semiconductor interfaces
  • Ferroelectric materials
  • Applications of opto-electronics
  • Silicides and interconnects in VLSI
  • Films: Epitaxial growth
  • Thin insulators for photovoltaic and thin film display applications
  • Semiconductor surfaces quantum well structures
  • Heteroepitaxy
  • Chemical vapour deposition
  • Synchrotron/neutron/ion beam (accelerator) characterisation.

• Plasma Science and Technologies Division is concerned with basic phenomena in gaseous plasma, scientific aspects of plasma-wall interaction, and technologies based on gas-phase and surface phenomena. The basic phenomena include the kinetics of charged particles (electrons and charged ions) and excited neutral species (metastable molecules and radicals in both ground and metastable states), the interaction between the plasma species, radiation arising from excited plasma species, collision phenomena in ionised gases, gas-phase oligomerisation, agglomeration, and formation of dusty plasma, and propagation of the electric field in the gaseous plasma. The interaction of gaseous plasma with solid and liquid materials includes surface neutralisation of charged particles, the heterogeneous surface association of atoms and radicals to molecules, condensation of plasma radicals, physical and chemical interaction of plasma species with solid materials, and the effects of plasma radiation on the structure of the surface films.
  • Nuclear fusion: confinement devices – tokamaks, stellarators, laser-based fusion devices for controlled nuclear fusion energy.
  • Low-temperature plasma applications and industrial processes: surface modification, thin-film deposition, sterilisation, biomedical applications.  Efficiency and sustainability in manufacturing and materials processing.
  • Plasma-based propulsion: plasma thrusters for spacecraft and satellites.
  • Plasma physics, diagnostics and modelling: advanced techniques to measure and simulate plasma properties and behaviour.
  • High-energy density plasmas: extreme plasma conditions relevant to astrophysics and inertial confinement fusion.
  • Plasma chemistry and processing: synthesis of nanomaterials, etching of microelectronics, and environmental remediation.
  • Plasma medicine: Wound healing, cancer treatment, and other medical applications.
  • Plasma-assisted combustion: Combustion efficiency and emission reduction.
  • Plasma sources and processing: Plasma sources,  surface modification, material synthesis, and etching processes.
  • Space plasma physics: Plasma in the Earth’s magnetosphere, the solar wind, and other astrophysical environments.
  • Atmospheric pressure plasma jets: Medicine, agriculture, and environmental remediation.
  • Plasma-material interactions: Interaction with surfaces for new materials and coatings.
  • Plasma instabilities and turbulence: Complex dynamics of plasma, waves, instabilities, and turbulent behaviour.

Experimental and theoretical research on solid surfaces and interfaces, as well as gas- and liquid-solid interactions, broadly defines the scope of this division. Current efforts are emphasised on electronic, ion, atom, neutron, and photon interactions with surfaces and on the structure, electronic and vibrational properties, and dynamics of surface processes. The latter include surface reactions, growth modes, diffusion, catalysis and electronic and vibrational interactions. Being rather general, the scientific community associated with  SS studies matter confined to dimensions up to a few atomic layers thick. During many years, powerful techniques and methods have been developed with high energy, and spatial resolution able to seed light and unravel rather diverse and complex phenomena based on low dimensional electronic and structural properties, with remarkable technological applications and direct implications in fundamental knowledge.

Surface science deals with the interface between different solid materials and their interaction with gases and liquids. Surface science has a history of dealing with the chemical, geometrical, vibrational, and electronic structure of the surface, i.e. properties specific to the outermost atomic layers of the solid. The kinetics and dynamics of the surface, and its interaction with particles, represent another theme in surface science. Very relevant to surface science is the precise study of surface modification and the resulting changes in their properties, at atomic level. New areas of study include rather diverse but important issues as the characterisation and control of surfaces during environmental degradation, biosurfaces, corrosion and the optimisation and evolution of advanced electronic materials for information during manufacturing and ageing.

• Adsorbates Dynamics and Scattering
• Atomic Manipulation
• Chemical Reactions at surfaces
• Diffusion and Growth
• Electronic Structure of few atomic layers at surfaces and interfaces
• Environmental and Biological Surface Science
• High precision Geometric Structure determination of surfaces and interfaces
• Liquid-, gas- and solid-Solid Interfaces electronic and magnetic interactions
• Surfaces/bulk Magnetic Properties
• Oxide Surfaces
• New theoretical approaches
• Photon or Electron Induced and Ultrafast Processes
• Phase Transitions, Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics
• Sliding Friction, Tribology, Fracture
• Small Particles, Clusters and Novel Structures
• Corrosion
• Surfaces and environmental interactions
• Design of quantum materials embedded in surfaces
• Chirality at surfaces
• Topological surface states at surfaces
• Materials with Dirac fermions at surfaces
• New Experimental Methods and Techniques
• Synchrotron, neutron, ion-beam (accelerator-based) characterisation

All phenomena related to gas dynamics impacting the production, measurement, and analysis of vacuum. Vacuum properties of materials as permeability, absorption or desorption (outgassing, degassing), vacuum pumping and contamination, as well as new leak detection techniques and improved total and partial pressure measurements. The VST division represents IUVSTA on the ISO Committee TC112 on Vacuum Technology.

• Novel vacuum pump technologies.
• Vacuum properties of materials (permeability, sorption, desorption, spontaneous or accelerated by physical processes, new materials).
• Vacuum chambers and components for specific applications: including semiconductor manufacturing, space simulation, and scientific instruments.
• Application of vacuum technology in surface analysis techniques: like X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS).
• Vacuum-based deposition techniques for thin films and coatings, such as sputtering, evaporation, and chemical vapour deposition.
• Vacuum technology for particle accelerators and fusion reactors
• Vacuum environments for studying fundamental physical phenomena: such as quantum effects and low-temperature physics.
• Vacuum-based sterilisation techniques for medical devices and pharmaceuticals.
• Effects of vacuum on biological samples and materials.
• Vacuum technology in food preservation and packaging.
• Gas dynamics simulations