To.Sca.Lake 3.0: Total Scattering for Nanotechnology 2019

Norberto Masciocchi
[To.Sca.Lake 3.0]

To.Sca.Lake 3.0: Total Scattering for Nanotechnology on the Como Lake was the third edition of a biennial series of Summer Schools that are organized within the initiatives of the Lake Como School of Advanced Studies and are fully dedicated to the foremost characterization methods, based on scattering techniques (from X-rays to visible light), developed for the multiple (atomic and nanometre) scale investigation of engineered nanomaterials.

The Workshop, which took place in the Villa del Grumello (Como, Italy; pictured above), lasted five days (27–31 May 2019) and included lessons, demos and hands-on tutorials. It was attended by 55 young researchers, internationally renowned teachers and commercial sponsors, all participating in a very active manner in the different sessions. The wide international attendance, with students from four different continents, made for a rich cultural and scientific exchange.

Foreign teachers (Hans Beat Bürgi, Simon Billinge, Jan Skov Pedersen, Antonio Cervellino, Martin Schmidt, Arnt Kern, Maksym Kovalenko and Detlef Beckers) and Italian experts in scattering techniques (Norberto Masciocchi, Antonella Guagliardi, Ruggero Frison and Fabio Ferri) presented, within the first three days, experimental techniques and high-level scientific results, including both theoretical and experimental aspects [small-angle X-ray scattering, total scattering in direct (PDF) and reciprocal (DSE) spaces, and static and dynamic light scattering]. The help of young researchers (Federica Bertolotti and Maxwell Terban) enabled the set up of a few parallel sessions of data analysis with PDFGui, DebUsSy and WLSQ_SAXS, modeling computer programs developed in recent years by some of the speakers. A few hours were also dedicated to oral contributions by young participants, and a permanent poster session was organized and duly attended. Finally, in the last day, Professor Ferri organized a live-demo experiment with the dynamic light scattering technique on colloidal suspensions of Pb(II)S, CdSe and CsPbBr3, highly performing materials in a variety of technological fields.

Organizing this Workshop was possible thanks to the funds raised from registration fees, funds provided by the Dipartimento di Scienza e Alta Tecnologia of the Università dell’Insubria and by the Lake Como School, sponsorship from national and international scientific bodies (IUCr, ICDD, AIC, ECA and INSTM) and commercial sponsors. The financial support generously provided by the IUCr was used to support the participation of five young attendees (Marcelo Malagutti, Brazil; Afshin Pendashteh, Iran; Kamal, India; Jelena Bjielic, Croatia; and Martin Alonso Garro Gonzàles, Costa Rica). 

18 June 2020

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