IRG3: Pluperfect Nanocrystal Architectures (2017-2023)

IRG Leaders: Randall D. Kamien and Chinedum Osuji

Senior Investigators: Lee C. Bassett, Nader Engheta, Cherie R. Kagan, James M. Kikkawa, Christopher B. Murray, Amish Patel, Shu Yang, Arjun G. Yodh

Collaborators: Jessica M. Anna, Tom C. Lubensky, Jennifer R. Lukes

IRG-3 aims to create, characterize, and control the architectures of nanocrystal-based materials that transcend the structure and function of translationally periodic nanocrystal assemblies that have dominated the research landscape to date. In creating synthetic materials, we typically aim for perfection, preparing pure and periodic materials that are easy to model and measure. However, an opportunity exists for the self- and directed-assembly of nanocrystals that break from perfection by exploiting additional degrees of design freedom that are unavailable in atomic systems. The team will explore combinations of surface chemistry and geometrical cues that trigger and direct the formation of compositional defects, aperiodicity, and heterogeneity in nanocrystal assemblies in “hard” fabricated and “soft” liquid crystal templates. Targeted imperfection will unlock a palette of configurable and reconfigurable architectures with new functions that are not possible in traditionally “perfect” assemblies. In this way we aspire to create pluperfect nanocrystal architectures, i.e., complex, beyond-perfect, or literally “more than perfect” nanocrystal assemblies, that impart novel optical and magnetic responses.

Highlights for IRG3

Controlling Nanoparticle Assemblies with Dendritic Ligands
Christopher Murray and Chinedum Osuji, University of Pennsylvania
05/20/2024
New Configuration Transitions of Nematic Liquid Crystals in Drops Induced by Magnetic Fields
Arjun Yodh, James Kikkawa, University of Pennsylvania, Peter Collings, Swarthmore College
05/20/2024
Self-Assembly of Quantum Emitters
Henry J Shulevitz, Lee C Bassett and Cherie R. Kagan
05/20/2022
Nanomaterials in Liquid Crystals
Chinedum Osuji, University of Pennsylvania
05/12/2021
Particles and nanodrops in nematic liquid crystals: twist elasticity & critical point effects
P. J. Collings, T. C. Lubensky, A.G. Yodh, University of Pennsylvania
05/12/2021
Molecular Heterogeneity Drives Reconfigurable Nematic Liquid Crystal Drops
W. S. Wei, Y. Xia, S. Ettinger, Shu Yang and A.G. Yodh, University of Pennsylvania
06/01/2020
Shaping Nanoparticle Fingerprints at the Interface of Cholesteric Droplets
Shu Yang, Kathleen Stebe & Randall Kamien, University of Pennsylvania
05/01/2019