Chemical Methods to Control Charge Transfer at Nanoscale Interfaces

该项目的目的是开发方法来控制涉及化学合成纳米级无机材料的界面上的电子/能量转移过程。这种控制将通过基于溶液的多种无机成分（金属、半导体和/或绝缘）与某些情况下的功能性有机分子的组装来实现。初步研究的目标是三个具有基础科学和商业重要性的系统：(1)用于控制纳米颗粒组件中掺杂和界面电场的离子表面涂层；(2)有机功能化半导体纳米粒子驱动空间可控光化学聚合；(3)具有多组分纳米级无机涂层的纳米颗粒，用于太阳能到化学能的转换。这些研究工作将以学生为导向，继续关注女性和少数族裔学生的科学职业培训，并将在加州大学圣巴巴拉分校科学丰富、前沿、多学科的环境中进行。参与该项目的研究生将通过美国国家科学基金会和国防部资助的外展项目和非正式合作，为本科生、高中教师和高中生提供指导。使用廉价和可扩展的化学方法制成的具有有用的电子和光吸收特性的纳米级材料，可以对从能量转换、电子和催化到化学传感、生物技术和医疗保健等重要行业产生积极影响。为了实现与这种转变相关的社会效益，我们正在努力综合控制，使用分子和无机涂层，电子在这种新兴材料中移动和相互作用的方式。这些研究工作将以学生为导向，继续关注女性和少数族裔学生的科学职业培训，并将在加州大学圣巴巴拉分校科学丰富、前沿、多学科的环境中进行。参与该项目的研究生将通过美国国家科学基金会和国防部资助的外展项目和非正式合作，为本科生、高中教师和高中生提供指导。

The aim of this project is to develop methods to control electron/energy transfer processes at interfaces involving chemically synthesized nanoscale inorganic materials. This control will be achieved through the solution-based assembly of multiple inorganic components (metallic, semiconducting, and/or insulating) with, in some cases, functional organic molecules. For initial study, three systems of fundamental scientific and commercial importance are targeted: (1) ionic surface coatings for controlling doping and interfacial electric fields in nanoparticle assemblies; (2) organic-functionalized semiconducting nanoparticles to drive spatially controlled photochemical polymerizations; and (3) nanoparticles with multicomponent nanoscale inorganic coatings for solar-to-chemical energy conversion. These research efforts will be student-driven, with continued focus on scientific career training for female and minority students, and will take place in the scientifically rich, cutting-edge, multi-disciplinary environment at UC Santa Barbara. The graduate students working on the project will serve as mentors to undergraduate students, high school teachers, and high school students through NSF- and DoD-funded outreach programs and informal collaborations.%%%Nanoscale materials with useful electronic and light-absorbing properties, made using inexpensive and scalable chemical methods, could positively impact important industries ranging from energy conversion, electronics, and catalysis to use in chemical sensing, biotechnology and health care. In order to achieve the societal benefits associated with such a transformation, we are working to synthetically control, using molecules and inorganic coatings, the way in which electrons move and interact in this emerging class of materials. These research efforts will be student-driven, with continued focus on scientific career training for female and minority students, and will take place in the scientifically rich, cutting-edge, multi-disciplinary environment at UC Santa Barbara. The graduate students working on the project will serve as mentors to undergraduate students, high school teachers, and high school students through NSF- and DoD-funded outreach programs and informal collaborations.