The Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry (MSN) program of the Division of Chemistry will support the collaborative research program of Prof. Jacob Israelachvili and Prof. Bradley Shmelka of the University of California at Santa Barbara. The investigators and their students will focus on the synthesis and characterization of semiconductor nanoparticles, as well as their 2D and 3D assemblies. The materials will be fabricated from (II-VI and III-V groups) semiconductors with tailorable structures and properties. The atomic positioning order, intraparticle electronic order and quantum confinement effects will be examined by solid-state NMR spectroscopy, surface forces measurements, and optical, TEM and X-ray techniques, in conjunction with first-principles calculations. These fundamental insights will then be exploited for the understanding of the hierarchical ordering within the nanoparticles and nanoparticle ensembles by directed assembly through varied external stimuli such as externally applied normal and shear forces, and electric fields.
The broader impacts of the proposed project include the demonstration of new and general approaches for the measurement, understanding, design, and improvement of the local compositional and structural features that account for the unusual properties of nanomaterials. Fundamental insights that will be obtained will apply to diverse other systems, including macromolecular, colloidal and biological materials. The collaborative efforts between the University of California at Santa Barbara and Ben Gurion University in Israel will provide cross-cultural educational and research opportunities for students between two complementary and well-equipped groups. The interdisciplinary training that students will receive in the synthesis and characterization of new nanoparticles will be broadly transferrable. It is expected that the insights gained from the proposed project will enable students and the broader scientific community to develop next-generation materials aimed at improving the performances of electronic and opto-electronic processes and devices.
