My group utilizes laser spectroscopy techniques to investigate the dynamics of charge carriers (electrons and holes) within semiconductor nanomaterials and of bimolecular chemical reactions. While these directions may appear drastically diverse, the unifying theme is to characterize the energetics and dynamics of these systems at the most basic level in order to develop better understandings of more complex systems. We investigate quantum effects that arise from the reduced dimensionality of semiconductor nanodots, nanowires, and nanoplatelets. These systems are of interest in developing efficient photovoltaics and nanoelectronics. We also probe the pathways of bimolecular reactions by stabilizing the reactants in pre-reactive complexes, which serve as the launching pads for the subsequent reaction dynamics experiments. The reactions are initiated using lasers tuned to specific exited states, and the products are characterized using fluorescence and ionization schemes. Current experiments are centered on charge transfer reactions, including those between Br2 or NO+ and C2H4 or C6H6.
Awards and Achievements
- NSF CAREER Award
- Camille and Henry Dreyfus New Faculty Award
- Research Corporation Research Innovation Award