Non-technical Abstract Nanoscale materials have significant applications in electronics, solar energy conversion, catalysis, and batteries. The principal investigator had discovered a new way of synthesizing nanomaterials that are driven by screw dislocation defects. In this project supported by Solid State and Materials Chemistry program in the Division of Materials Research, the principal investigator develops the rational design and controlled synthesis of novel and complex nanomaterials whose anisotropic growth is driven by screw dislocations. This research can potentially have transformative impacts on the rational and controllable synthesis of novel nanomaterials that can be advantageous for a variety of applications, such as in renewable energy. Furthermore, the research team integrates education and outreach with active research by recruiting underrepresented undergraduate students to participate in research, by developing new lab modules on solution synthesis of nanomaterials for undergraduate lab courses, and by developing and conducting new nanoscience hands-on activities at the annual Wisconsin Science Festival to the general public.
Dislocation-driven nanomaterial growth is a fundamental advance that can create new dimensions in the rational synthesis of anisotropic one-dimensional (1D), two-dimensional (2D), and complex three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical nanostructures. As a general mechanism that is applicable to any crystalline materials at low supersaturation, it is particularly powerful for growing anisotropic nanostructures of complex materials that have been otherwise challenging to synthesize using catalyst-driven growth. Building on the significant advances and classical crystal growth theory, the principle investigator exploits the advantages of dislocation-driven growth to develop the rational design and controllable synthesis of more complex nanostructures, in terms of both more complex materials, such as ternary metal oxides/hydroxides, and more complex 3D nanomorphologies and heterostructures. To address the challenges associated with controlled solution growth of ternary metal oxide/hydroxide and other complex compounds, the following specific objectives will be pursued: i) develop general dislocation-driven growth of nanomaterials using high-pressure high-temperature hydrothermal continuous flow reactors; ii) investigate the use of non-aqueous solvents for dislocation-driven growth of nanomaterials; iii) develop strategies via conversion reactions from nanomaterials grown by dislocations; iv) make nanostructures with complex geometries through dislocation-driven heterostructure growth.
