Research

IRG 1: Engineered Multiblock Polymers designs, prepares, characterizes and employs block polymers containing more than two chemically distinct segments to enable a rich array of sophisticated technologies using these nanostructured hybrid materials. The group establishes fundamental knowledge concerning the complex interplay between synthesis, structure, properties, and processing in these materials and focuses their research efforts on multidomain aqueous assemblies for innovative biomedical applications, tailored membrane materials for advanced separations, and inventive coating and extrusion processes that facilitate practical applications of new multiblock-based materials.

IRG 2: Organic Optoelectronic Interfaces relies on a combination of experimental and theoretical approaches to determine the key structure-property relationships associated with interfaces in a new generation of organic optoelectronic devices. By combining its expertise in molecular synthesis, film growth, transport, spectroscopy, computation, and modeling, the IRG aims to fabricate and characterize organic-insulator, organic-organic, and organic-metal interfaces with enhanced performance in field effect transistors (OFETs) and photovoltaic cells (OPVs).

IRG 3: Magnetic Heterostructures uses advanced materials synthesis, novel measurement techniques and innovative theoretical approaches to explore spin transport across interfaces and in confined geometries. A particular focus of this work is the physics and materials science of transport and dynamics in hybrid systems in which ferromagnets are integrated with other materials, including semiconductors and normal metals. This research will impact upon the development of new magnetic sensors as well as non-volatile memory and magnetic storage media.

IRG 4: Nanoparticle-based Materials. The vision of IRG-4 is to explore nanoparticle-based materials that are non-toxic, environmentally benign, abundant, stable and economically manufacturable, and to understand their fundamental optoelectronic properties for luminescent and photovoltaic (solar-to-electric energy con-version) applications. The IRG focuses on semiconductor nanoparticles including group IV materials (Si and Ge) and several metal-oxides, whose constituent elements are among the most abundant in the earth's crust and non-toxic. IRG researchers study the size-tunable optical properties of nanoparticles, novel low-cost nanoparticle assembly approaches, and novel photo-physical phenomena in nanoparticles and nanoparticle films.

Seeds: The Center operates an aggressive Seed program designed to foster innovation and promote Center growth and evolution. Awards are made to individual faculty members or small clusters in support of high risk projects or research in emerging areas. Current seed awards support research on: Biodegradeable Plastics, Graphene Oxide, Silicon Nanowires, DNA Electrophoresis, Interfacial Structure in oFETs, and Plasmonics.