When material dimensions reach the nanometer scale, quantum mechanical and thermodynamic properties that are insignificant in larger, everyday materials dominate, causing these nanomaterials to display new and interesting properties. Our work seeks to understand these properties and exploit them for technological applications.

Our current Research Interests/Projects are (but not limited to):

• Novel renewable energy conversion systems and thermodynamics of semiconductor quantum dots.
• The visualization of colloidal nanocrystal chemistry and physics in their native environments using machine learning tool and electron microscopy.
• Colloidal nanocrystals for quantum information applications.  
• Organic functionalization and stabilization of high energy nanocrystal surface sites for high turnover, selective catalysis.
• The synthesis and optical/structural characterization of nanocrystals for (opto-)electronic applications.

We are affiliated with the following departments, programs and centers:

• Department of Chemistry
• Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering
• James Franck Institute