The Chemistry of Inorganic Materials and Surfaces

We are interested in chemical routes to creating nanostructured materials and manipulating their surface chemistries. Our work requires skills in synthesis and characterization of these materials. We commonly use electron and optical microscopy, scanning probe microscopy, surface spectroscopy, and diffraction techniques to characterize the composition and form of the nanostructures. Students also develop skills in micro- and nanofabrication to direct the assembly of nanostructures, to pattern nanostructured materials, to fabricate device structures, and to measure physical properties of these nanostructures.

Specific goals include:

1. Development of new synthetic approaches to inorganic nanostructures and new methods to position these structures into well-defined patterns.
2. Explore new, simple approaches for the fabrication of nanostructured materials with applications in alternative energy, health, and information technologies.
3. Investigate the electronic and optoelectronic properties of nanostructures and nanostructured materials, and the incorporation of these structures into new device structures for applications in renewable energy, tunable nanoelectronic circuitry, and analytical assays.
4. Synthesize nanostructures as probes for imaging complex biological systems in 3D for applications such as tracking the movement or growth of cells and the spread of cancer.
   
5. Explore the interfacial chemistry of nanostructures and develop simple chemical routes to modifying the interaction between these structures and their environment. This work includes an investigation of the stability of these nanoparticles under extreme changes in their local environment.
6. Develop safe methods for working with nanoparticles. This work includes development of techniques for containing and handling nanomaterials in a safe manner.