Glossary of terms used on NANO Magazine

F

FCVA

Filtered cathodic vacuum arc.

Ferrofluids

Also known as magnetic liquids, they are re stable colloidal suspensions of single domain particles of ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic materials. They have existed for more than sixty years but the concentrated fluids that are used today first appeared in 1965. Ferrofluids consist of very small magnetic particles held in suspension in a carrier liquid by a surface active layer. The carrier liquid is selected to meet the particular application and can be a hydrocarbon, ester, perfluoropolyether, water, etc.

FIB

Focussed ion beam.

Fluorocarbons

Fluorocarbons is a general term for any group of synthetic organic compounds that contain fluorine and carbon.

Fullerine

A fullerene is a pure carbon molecule composed of at least 60 atoms of carbon. They are cage-like structures of carbon atoms; the most abundant form produced is Buckminster-fullerene (C60), with sixty carbon atoms arranged in a spherical structure. Because a fullerene takes a shape similar to a soccer ball or a geodesic dome, it is sometimes referred to as a buckyball after the inventor of the geodesic dome, Buckminster Fuller, for whom the fullerene is more formally named.

Functional Nanotechnology

Applications in which nanostructures are used to produce improved optical, electronic or magnetic properties. Includes nanoelectronics based on quantum effects.