Research
Super-resolution atomic force microscopy for in situ imaging
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is widely used to image surfaces and interfaces at the nanometer scale. We are combining noncontact imaging and atomic scale simulation to understand how the interaction forces between a few atoms on the tip apex and a few atoms on the surface determine the imaging contrast. The knowledge is being applied to enable reproducible subnanometer resolution imaging of electrochemical interfaces, which are key to many electrochemical energy storage and conversion devices.
Surface Mediated Self-Assembly of DNA Nanostructures
DNA origami and DNA brick methods allow us to fold DNA into custom 2D and 3D architectures with nanometer precision. These “designer” structures can act as nanoscale breadboards, organizing quantum dots, metallic nanoparticles, and other materials into functional circuits. But turning these soft, self-assembled structures into real devices requires a key step: integrating them with lithographically patterned solid surfaces.
This project aims to build a quantitative, mechanistic understanding of how DNA origami interacts with nanopatterned substrates—and then use that knowledge to engineer these interactions with precision. Our goal is to reliably and selectively position DNA origami on predefined patterns and connect them into complex 2D and 3D networks. By mastering this interface between biomolecular self-assembly and top-down nanofabrication, the project may open pathways toward next-generation nanoelectronic and nanophotonic circuits.
DNA-Quantum Dot Hybrid Materials
This project explores an exciting frontier where quantum-confined nanocrystals (quantum dots) interface programmable biomolecules (DNA). These two materials are rarely combined, yet together they offer powerful new ways to control light and energy at the nanoscale. Quantum dots provide tunable electronic and optical states, while DNA offers precise structural organization, chemical versatility, and intriguing electronic behavior of its own.
Although DNA is often used simply as a scaffold to organize nanoparticles, we are interested in something more ambitious: treating DNA as an active electronic partner that can influence how quantum dots interact with each other. By designing and probing QD–DNA interfaces that promote electronic coupling between these very different materials, we aim to uncover new collective phenomena and fundamental principles that govern hybrid quantum–biomolecular systems. Students on this project will work at the intersection of physical chemistry, nanoscience, and biomolecular engineering to discover entirely new behaviors that emerge when “soft” biological matter and “hard” quantum materials are brought together.
Our Research is supported by:
