The PCPM (Physical Chemistry and Physics of Materials) laboratory belongs to the Department of Material and Process Sciences (MAPR) of the Catholic University of Louvain (UCL). The research activity at the PCPM lab is multifaceted including both experimental and simulation tools in various fields of Materials Science. It is primarily focused on novel solid state phenomena that are determined by small dimensions (at the level of the nanometer) and surfaces and interfaces. The program is inspired by the challenges of "Nanoscience" and "Nanotechnology" and the research at PCPM adresses both fundamental and applied aspects. The results of the research will also provide the necessary information for creating new and improved functional or structural materials in various application areas.

The staff of the lab, including academic, scientific, technical and administrative personnel, comprises 16 positions. In addition, the laboratory houses a group of 24 scientists (Ph.D. and post-docs). PCPM is involved in 3 "Networks of Excellence" in the EU-FW6 and is also recognised as "laboratoire de référence" by the Belgian "Fond National de la Recherche Scientifique".

PCPM has an outstanding experience in the fabrication, characterization and investigation of the physical properties (electrical, thermal, magnetic and high frequency properties) of nanostructured materials such as magnetic and superconducting nanowires, carbon nanotubes, quantum dots and low-dimensional electron gas. The laboratory has a recognized expertise in materials modeling and simulation from first-principles (ab initio) calculations to empirical techniques, including molecular dynamics, relying on high performance and parallel computing. PCPM is synchronizing the development of the world-wide used ABINIT software. PCPM has also a strong expertise and is fully equipped for the elemental, functional and structural characterization of surfaces and interfaces of inorganic and organic layers by the ionic spectrometries. Finally, the lab at UCL has micro-nanofabrication facilities ranging from e-beam lithography to electrochemical templating synthesis, ion implentation, thin film deposition techniques and high resolution electron microscopies.

The mission of the PCPM laboratory is also to provide student education in physical chemistry and physics of materials and characterization as well as to stimulate interaction accross the laboratory boundaries, in particular with the Research Center on Micro- and Nanoscale Materials and Electronic Devices (CeRMiN) at UCL, the members of the belgian Interuniversity Attraction Poles on "Quantum Size Effects in Nanostructured Materials" and many international institutions.