Small particles have been at the heart of nanoscience since the birth of the field and now stand ready to make significant contributions to the big challenges of energy, health and sustainability. Atomic clusters show exquisite size-dependent electronic and magnetic properties and offer a new level of control in catalyses, sensors and biochips; functionalised nanocrystals offer remarkable optical properties and diverse applications in electronic devices, solar energy, and therapy. Both areas are complemented by a raft of recent advances in fabrication, characterization, and performance of a diversity of nanomaterials from the single atom level to nanowires, nanodevices, and biologically-inspired nanosystems.

The goal of the 2011 Gordon Conference is thus to continue and enhance the interdisciplinary tradition of this series and discuss the most recent advances, fundamental scientific questions, and emerging applications of clusters, nanocrystals, and nanostructures. A single conference covering all aspects of nanoscience from fundamental issues to applications has the potential to create new ideas and stimulate cross fertilization. The meeting will therefore provide a balance among the three sub-components of the conference, true to its title, with a selection of new topics added to reflect rapid advances in the field.

The open atmosphere of a Gordon conference, emphasizing the presentation of unpublished results and extensive discussions, is an ideal home for this rapidly developing field and will allow all participants to enjoy a valuable and stimulating experience. Historically, this Gordon conference has been oversubscribed, so we encourage all interested researchers from academia, industry, and government institutions to apply as early as possible. We also encourage all attendees to submit their latest results for presentation at the poster sessions. We anticipate that several posters will be selected for “hot topic” oral presentations. Given the important role students and postdocs play in the future of this field, we also anticipate several talks of this kind from young investigators.