Chemistry

The general goal of the Molecular & Electronic Nanostructures (M&ENS) main research theme is to develop a fundamental understanding of chemical and physical processes involving structures on the nanometer scale. Biomolecules, mesoscopic semiconductor-based systems, and macromolecular assemblies are studied with emphasis on future electronic or optoelectronic applications. Another goal is to develop powerful tools for serving this (and other) research within the Beckman Institute. For example, one of the world's most advanced scanning tunneling microscopy systems, and facilities for scanning force microscopy and near-field scanning optical microscopy, enable researchers to observe and even create new forms of nanostructures.

The Center for Nanotechnology at the University of Washington was created in 1997. It brings together faculty members and students from the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Pharmacy, and the School of Medicine. The Center enjoys major financial support from the University of Washington Initiatives Fund (UIF) and National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (NSF-IGERT) program.

CEMS represents the collaborations of research scientists from Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory that focus on the molecular basis for the behavior of environmental contaminants in natural and engineered systems. Stony Brook and Brookhaven researchers, who are joined by scientists at Temple University and Penn State University, draw from the critical disciplines of chemistry, geochemistry, physics, microbiology, and materials science. Using a broad array of tools, including synchrotron radiation techniques, CEMS addresses complex environmental problems that affect society. CEMS is an Environmental Molecular Science Institute funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy, with support from Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory.

The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) provides a multi-agency framework to ensure U.S. leadership in nanotechnology that will be essential to improved human health, economic well being and national security. The NNI invests in fundamental research to further understanding of nanoscale phenomena and facilities technology transfer.

Carbon materials, which have such excellent properties and adapt to the environment easily, are the objects of our studies in the Research Center for Advanced Carbon Materials. The aim of our research center is to establish the new science of the nano-space of carbon materials; to investigate the structures and the functions of nano-scale materials; to develop new carbon materials whose properties surpass those of current materials; to reveal new applications in various fields of applications like super-tribomaterials; and to develop the technique of the nano-scale characterization for carbon materials.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) conducts unclassified research across a wide range of scientific disciplines with key efforts in fundamental studies of the universe; quantitative biology; nanoscience; new energy systems and environmental solutions; and the use of integrated computing as a tool for discovery. It is organized into 17 scientific divisions and hosts four DOE national user facilities. The Lab was founded in 1931 by Ernest Orlando Lawrence, winner of the 1939 Nobel Prize in physics for his invention of the cyclotron, a circular particle accelerator that opened the door to high-energy physics. It was Lawrences belief that scientific research is best done through teams of individuals with different fields of expertise, working together. His teamwork concept is a Berkeley Lab legacy that has yielded rich dividends in basic knowledge and applied technology, and a profusion of awards, including nine Nobel Prizes -- five in physics and four in chemistry.

The Brookhaven National Laboratory Center for Functional Nanomaterials will provide researchers with state-of-the-art capabilities to fabricate and study nanoscale materials. Functional materials are those which exhibit a predetermined chemical or physical response to external stimuli. The Center's focus is to achieve a basic understanding of how these materials respond when in nanoscale form. Nanomaterials--typically on the scale of billionths of a meter--offer different chemical and physical properties than bulk materials, and have the potential to form the basis of new technologies.

Within Chemical and Biological Sciences, three research divisions existEnvironmental Sciences, Fundamental Interactions and Molecular Processes. Environmental Sciences researchers study the chemical and physical aspects of chemical carcinogenesis by advanced laser techniques. They are also working to develop new approaches and to improve on existing technologies relevant to gene mapping and to DNA sequencing. The Fundamental Interactions division consists of Chemical Physics, in which research on the fundamental reactions in combustion and the nature of heterogeneous catalysis is performed, and Photochemical and Radiation Sciences, in which group members perform research on the fundamental processes in biological solar energy conversion. The Molecular Processes division consists of Chemical Energy, which is focused on catalysis, and Chemical Separations and Analysis, which is focused on analytical applications. Current projects in the Chemical Energy area include chemical kinetics and reactivity of transition metal complexes, new synthetic routes to inorganic catalytic materials using organometallic precursors and molecular "stepping stones", spectroscopic and kinetic characterization of metal oxide catalysts, spectroscopic and phenomenological studies of catalysts and advanced materials, and organometallic complexes in homogeneous catalysis. Chemical Separations and Analysis projects are in the areas of analytical separations, analytical spectroscopy, lasers in analytical chemistry, chemical analysis at liquid-solid interfaces, and metal hydride batteries.

Our program has a single overarching goal: to synthesize and to understand the basic principles governing properties and behavior of novel materials and structures. Our program is committed to world-class research currently focusing on two classes of solid-state materials1) Metal-rich inorganic solid-state phases including quasicrystalline materials; and (2) Macromolecular systems. In both classes, development of heretofore-unknown materials is emphasized. A synergistic combination of experiment and theory involving multi-disciplinary approaches is a hallmark of the program. Within the first class, metal-rich solid-state phases, topics of investigation are electronic stabilization; atomic structure; surface structure and properties; solute effects; and macroscopic growth. a particular strength is our work on quasicrystalline materials, which constitute a subset of metal-rich solid-state phases. Within the second class, macromolecular systems, the emphasis is on the development of novel polymeric and polymer-inorganic bioinspired materials that exhibit self-assembly at multiple length scales. An important aspect is the development of nuclear magnetic resonance techniques for characterization of these bioinspired materials.

NASA Ames nanotechnology effort started in early 1996 and has steadily grown to establish a Center for Nanotechnology. The research work focuses on experimental research and development in nano and bio technologies as well as on a strong complementary modeling and simulation effort that includes computational nanotechnology, computational nanoelectronics, computational optoelectronics, and computational modeling of processes encountered in nanofabrication. The Center has about 55 scientists working on the above aspects; in addition, graduate students, faculty on sabbatical or summer visits, undergraduate and high school students work at the Center through various internship programs. The Center vision is: To develop novel concepts in nanotechnology for NASA's future needs on electronics, computing, sensors, and advanced miniaturization of all systems; To develop highly integrated and intelligent simulation environment that facilitates the rapid development and validation of future generation electronic devices as well as associated materials and processes through virtual prototyping at multiple levels of fidelity.

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The Chemistry Department conducts basic research in the chemical sciences on subjects ranging from nuclear processes shortly after the big bang, to medical imaging, and many topics in between. Major topics of our research includes: Experimental and theoretical programs studying imaging and neuroscience, Charge transfer for energy conversion, Chemistry with ionizing radiation, Catalysis and surface science, Nanoscience, Combustion, and Nuclear chemistry. Learn about our research. Click on the other links at the left to discover who we are and how we work.