Shining the brightest light on functional nanomaterials

Nanomaterials such as nanoparticles and nanoclusters are the most widely used building blocks in current nanotechnology. Improved understanding of the structure-property relationships of nanomaterials is crucial for advancing nanotechnology. This proposed research program focuses on the use of powerful synchrotron radiation (the “brightest” light) based X-ray spectroscopy techniques to uncover the structure-property relationships of some technologically important nanomaterials. Three classes of nano-systems will be studied, including (i) catalytically active nanoparticles, (ii) bio-inspired nanostructures (iii) composition-precise gold and silver nanoclusters. By using the synchrotron spectroscopy techniques that we recently established in conjunction with conventional techniques outlined in this proposal, it is anticipated that significantly improved understanding of the structure-property relationships of the above three classes of nano-systems will be resulted, which will make important contributions to the fundamental research in physical chemistry and materials science. The proposed research will also improve the development of nanometer-sized catalysts and biological devices, thus accelerating the advancement of nanotechnology in Canada.