MEMS/MatSci Seminar: Programming Materials Assembly Across Scales

Abstract: How do we engineer matter at different length scales? My lab investigates experimental synthesis and assembly techniques that allow us to organize colloidal nanoparticles rationally, precisely, and collectively into larger-scale architectures. I will present work at three different scales. On the molecular scale: I will present our work on the design of supramolecular coordination polymers. These self-assembled molecules serve as precursors for thermolysis and the generation of shaped solid-state nanocrystals. On the nanoscale: I will discuss how shaped metal nanocrystals can be assembled into resonant optical nanojunctions that facilitate intense electromagnetic field localization and inelastic electron tunneling. On the mesoscale: I will discuss different assembly strategies (layer-by-layer, Langmuir-Blodgett) that we have developed for organizing colloidal nanoparticles into thin-films and stacked structures, with the ultimate goal of building functional architected materials.