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Materials Synthesis

The Nanotech Center has ongoing programs in the synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials. Our programs focus on two aspects of synthesis:

  • Development, growth and characterization of new nanoscale materials
  • Organization and assembly of nanoscale building blocks into larger composite or meta structures

materials

 

 

Synthesis IRG:

Dr. Ron Noftle, Dr. Abdou Lachgar, Dr. David Carroll, Dr. Nicole Levi-Polyachenko

 

The synthesis methods we employ are widely varied: CVD, Laser assisted CVD, PLD, RF Magnetron sputtering, Kratchmer Generator growth, chemical synthesis, and electro-chemical templating. The systems currently uncer study are:

  • Electro-spun polymer fibers,
  • Polymer nanospheres and nanowires
  • Carbon Nanotubes, and their doped variants,
  • Metal Nanoparticles,
  • GaN, PbS, PbSe nanowires
  • Conducting polymers (donor-acceptor systems)
  • Caged structures

A key aspect of any nanomaterials synthesis program is the characterization techniques utilized. We specialize in electron and scanning probe microscopies, scanning probe spectroscopies, and a number of optical techniques such as Raman, Luminscences, Pulse-Probe, Time-of-flight, and z-scan for nonlinear effects. We also have a number of long standing collaborations in Raman, HRTEM, EELS, and XPS-UPS, to further our characterization methods.

Once nanoscale building blocks have been created, what do you do with them. Usually, they must be assembled into a structure that makes use of their unusual properties at the macroscale. These assemblies can be a simple as a randomly places assortment of nanotubes into thin transparent conducting films. They can be as complex as multiple and distinct nano-elements assembled into crystalline-like registry such as a photonic crystal. At Nanotech we are approaching the complexity of order using several methods:

  • Directed chemical assembly
  • Entropic assembly
  • Biologically inspired biochemical assembly
  • Templated assembly
  • Chaotic advection and smart matrix assembly
 


the Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials  • Wake Forest University • Winston-Salem, North Carolina • Information: 336.727.1806