Research.
Every modern technology enabled by inorganic materials is also limited by inorganic materials; for example, the properties of materials limit the conversion of sunlight into electricity or fuel, limit our ability to efficiently catalyze chemical reactions under mild conditions, and limit how we generate artificial light. The search for new materials is therefore driven by the need to improve existing technologies in addition to the discovery of novel functionality to realize the next generation of technologies. As such, the design, discovery, and synthesis of novel materials is essential for scientific progress and long-term economic growth.
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Data-Driven Learning
The design of inorganic materials critically depends on our ability to manipulate their synthesis in a rational, robust, and controllable fashion. Different from conventional trial-and-error approaches, we are utilizing data-driven learning, such as design of experiments, classifier algorithms, and Bayesian optimizations, to effectively and more efficiently control materials synthesis. This is greatly accelerating our ability to target and synthesize new materials.
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Colloidal Nanocrystals
We develop synthetic routes to colloidal nanocrystals that possess unique physicochemical properties beneficial for catalysis, solar cells, and light emitting diodes. One emphasis of our work is molecular precursor chemistry. We pioneered the use of dichalcogenide precursors that allow for tunable and kinetically controlled syntheses of metal chalcogenide nanocrystals, including many terra incognita metastable materials discovered in our lab.
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Thin Film Deposition
To lower processing costs, we are developing new classes of inks for the liquid-phase deposition of thin films. We discovered a thiol-amine solvent mixture that dissolves hundreds of metals, metal oxides, and metal chalcogenides to generate a wide palette of inks. These inks can then be solution processed and heated to recover high-quality thin films for solar cells, batteries, and thermoelectrics.
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We Acknowledge Our Generous Funders
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