Recent developments in the field of nanomaterials have resulted in exciting new possibilities in numerous applications. The research team at the Nanomaterials and Thin Films Lab, under the leadership of Professor Jeff Glass, is dedicated to exploring these possibilities in a scientific, innovative, and practical way. The team applies electrical, optics, materials, and electrochemical engineering expertise to develop novel nanostructures that address large-scale problems pertinent to the global energy-water nexus and growing need for nanotechnology based sensing.
The Nanomaterials and Thin Films Lab utilizes a wide selection of materials processing and characterization tools, as well as custom instrumentation, to push the boundaries of nanotechnology. Areas of specialization and available tools include:
- Microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD)
- Thin Films and Functionalization via Atomic Layer Deposition
- Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and other electrochemical methods
- Field emission (FE) characterization and novel FE device fabrication
- Advanced materials characterization and surface analysis, including in-vacuo analysis
- Coded Aperture Miniature Mass Spectrometer Development
- Liquid waste disinfection for the developing world
- Solar Fuel Generation via Photoelectrochemical Water-Splitting
- Supercapacitors
- Advanced materials for neural stimulation
The unique intrinsic properties of nanomaterials are often dependent on their morphological features and surface chemistry. The significance of these features is particularly important when applied to the electrochemistry and sensor development. The research team at the Nanomaterials and Thin Films lab is driven to contribute to the science of nanomaterials and to develop new materials that yield improved performance in devices. The iterative feedback loop between materials processing, characterization and device properties yields improvements in both scientific understanding and device performance.