Former group members

Landy Blasdel
My research focuses on water-splitting and improving the efficiency of the existing system.

Nina Kovtyukhova
My research is focused on design, bottom-up wet assembly, and modification of 3D-ordered functional nano- and microstructures by means of synthetic chemistry and surface engineering at all of the assembly stages. Surface engineering of the building blocks at each length scale is a powerful tool for guiding assembly dynamics of the system and providing functionality. In particular, I am interested in synthesis of well-organized materials using directed or self assembly of nanoblocks, such as metal oxides, polymers, small molecules, metals, and carbon. To achieve this I use various adsorption techniques, intercalation reactions, sol-gel chemistry, electrochemistry, template-assisted deposition and combination thereof. Potential applications of interest are structured multi-component electrodes for photo-catalytic water splitting and moderate temperature fuel cell membranes.

Kannan Srinivasan
I am a Raman Research Fellow 2009-10 from Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Bhavnagar, India. My research at PSU involves synthesis of ordered 3D perovskite for multiferroic applications using layered Dion-Jacobson perovskite as the precursor. The challenge of my research is to stack the exfoliated sheets of layered pervokite back with "in plane" registry with concomitant cation exchange. In another program, my work involves co-intercalation/ incorporation of perrhenate and palladium nanoparticles in polymer-encapsulated synthetic fluromica for catalytic removal of the environmentally undesirable perchlorate anion. More about my research can be found at: http://www.researcherid.com/rid/B-9286-2008

Joanna Skluzacek
My research interests are two-fold. First, I investigate advanced materials for water purification. These materials, called Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks (ZIFs), have a wide range of structural and chemical stability and exhibit surface areas over 800 m²/g. I am researching the capability and capacity of ZIFs to adsorb pollutants from aqueous phase. Secondly, I examine water quality issues and remediation strategies for the developing world. Most recently, I have worked in Ghana, Africa, to assess water quality problems and implement low-cost water filters in several homes. This work also includes community education and cooperation from the University of Mines and Technology in Tarkwa, Ghana.

Camden Henderson
My research focuses on the use of layer perovskites as precursors to materials with interesting properties. To accomplish this, we use cation exchanged layer perovskites and exfoliate them into single sheets. The difficulty lies in reassembling the individual sheets back into a bulk material with the correct orientation. We are trying new methods which will hopefully yield highly ordered reassembled materials. Once the process is understood, we hope to be able to incorporate different materials into the reassembled one, thereby giving rise to a bulk material with new and interesting properties.

Elizabeth Sklute
I work on the magnetic orientation of layered, inorganic proton conducting materials - specifically 2-layer perovskite oxides of the general form RbLaTa₂O₇. By substituting Sr²⁺ and Ti⁴⁺ for La³⁺, I increase and decrease the interlayer density of Rubidium ions. Upon proton exchange, this should lead to a variable proton density in the interlayer region. The effect of these substitutions on proton conductivity will be analyzed using an impedance analyzer of both randomly oriented samples and those electrophoretically deposited with an edge on orientation inside a 0.8T static magnetic field.

Jung-eun Kwak
The ultimate goal of my work is to make and characterize novel phase-pure, electronically conducting layered transition metal oxifluorides that can be exfoliated, restacked, scrolled, and grown layer-by-layer.

Lucas Jellison
I am looking at the parameters that effect photocatalyzed water oxidation as well as the electron transfer between the catalyst and the light absorbing molecule.

Wei Wang
My research is focused on catalytically or externally driven nanomotors. These motors are on nanometer or micrometer scales and are capable of moving and doing work either autonomously or through external forces, such as AC electric or magnetic fields. The goal of my current research is to first achieve such movement by applying an AC field to a microscale diode, then to study its motion and the influence of other parameters on the motion. Ultimately the nano- or micro-motor can be utilized as a small scale tool to function in situations where normal tools cannot, such as in human bodies.

Anne Kaintz
I am using diffuse reflectance to study the kinetics of electron transport in a photoelectrochemical water-splitting system. The system is comprised of niobate nanoscrolls which are sensitized with ruthenium bipyridine dye and activated with smaller chemisorbed platinum or rhodium nanoparticles. By studying the rate of electron transport in different parts of the system, I hope to find ways of improving the overall quantum yield.

Stuart Friesen
I am working on improving the optical harvesting capability of dye sensitized solar cells with inverse opal structures.

John Swierk
My research is focused on using nanodiodes to control charge recombination in layer-by-layer charge transfer systems. By retarding recombination, long-lived charge separated lifetimes can be obtained and these systems used for photochemical hydrogen evolution from water. I am also interested in preparing these systems on electrically conductive, high surface area supports.

Brian Kelly
I am interested in studying the effects confinement has on 1-D metal nano-particles (wires); specifically electron transport properties and crystallinity. Experiments have shown that single metal nano-wires, such as Pb, Sn, and Bi exhibit properties that differ from bulk metals.

Tom Larrabee
I am interested in the self-assembly of nanorod/nanoparticle structures. Particularly, lyophilic and lyophobic interactions, particle-particle interactions, and particle-surface interactions. Surface patterning, such as soft-lithography, is being used to direct particle organization. Fundamentalstudies involving mixed SAMs are underway, as well as experiments related to molecular electronics applications

Anna Lee
My research is focused on improving the energy conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) by constructing 3-dimensional photonic crystals (PC) on top of collidal TiO₂ films. The difficulty with DSSCs is their poor light absorbance at wavelengths longer than 600 nm. I am studying how the periodic microstructure of PCs having a stop band in the 550 - 700 nm range affects the utilization of long wavelength light in DSSCs. I also plan to incorporate dye-sensitized colloidal O₂-evolving catalysts into the modified DSSCs to investigate the direct photoelectrolysis of water.

Brad Lewis
In my research I look at the use of nano-structured materials for the conversion of visible light into chemical and electrical energy. Currently I am attempting to prepare arrays of CdSe nanowires for use in photovoltaic solar cells. I have also looked at the photosensitization of, and the electron transfer in layered metal oxide semiconductor (LMOS) based nanostructures to be used as visible light water splitting catalysts.

Yang Wang
I am interested in developing a class of nano- and microscale motors, which are powered by catalytic reactions, and applying them to nanomachinery, nanoscale delivery vehicles, and so on.

Dan Fowler
I study various aspects of both microscale and nanoscale iron for application in environmental remediation procedures. Specifically, my research examines the transport and targeting properties of polymer adsorbed iron particles. Characterization techniques employed have ranged from X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy to UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy and contact angle goniometry.