Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Nanomaterials (NMs) have game changing potential in existing and emerging technologies - this is well-illustrated by the recent commercialization of QLED televisions and displays. NM research has even seen ideas and concepts inspired by "science fiction" become reality because of fundamental research that enables exquisite tuning and control of size and surface dependent NM properties. As such, NMs and their assemblies are expected to revolutionize many aspects of modern society including consumer electronics, alternative energy generation as well as storage, healthcare, sensing, optical computing, and even camouflage through the development of light scattering "cloaking" technologies. Unfortunately, many of the exciting prototype advances rely on NMs based upon toxic (e.g., Cd), or comparatively rare (e.g., In) elements. If society is to gain the full benefit of NMs, it is essential that methods be established to predictably prepare, tailor, and manipulate NMs based upon non-toxic, earth abundant elements. Furthermore, achieving these lofty goals is only possible through the preparation, tailoring and testing of real materials - these are the subjects of the present program supported by the NSERC Discovery Program. It will encompass three interconnected themes that exploit and grow our expertise while targeting nanoparticles (or quantum dots) and nanosheets comprised of the earth abundant, non-toxic elements silicon (Si) and germanium (Ge). We will develop new scalable methods for preparing and tailoring the composition, crystal structure, and surface chemistry of these versatile materials. We will also establish structure-property relationships that will provide fundamental practical understanding of Si and Ge NM behavior; these advances will facilitate the design and exploitation of the optical and electronic properties of NMs and their assemblies. In the spirit of discovery, we will also address pressing challenges related to Si nanoparticle/quantum dot applications in displays, sensors, and other optical components; explore revolutionary metamaterial opportunities in which individual (large and small) and assembled Si nanoparticles are predicted to exhibit unique optical responses that do not occur in nature; establish procedures for preparing Ge nanoparticles for solar-cells, field-effect transistors, batteries, photonics, etc.; as well as explore methods to prepare, tailor the properties and manipulate 2D nanosheets of Si and Ge that hold promise in the next generation of electronics and may extend "Moore's Law" and help realize the next generation of advanced computing.