Despite traditional bulk approaches, we investigate the role of heterogeneities in complex materials by measuring dynamic processes on characteristic length- and timescales. To do so, we convert electron microscopy and optical super-resolution approaches into non-invasive and time-resolved microscopies of soft materials, uncovering surprising variations to explain emergent macroscopic material properties. These soft materials range from … Continued
I am a biophysical chemist focusing in the development of complex biophysical tools for observing living cells interact with nano-scale materials and devices. My recent innovation has been to identify the membrane curvature as a key biochemical signal at the cell-nanomaterial interface. I also developed vertical and nanosized electrodes that are capable of highly sensitive, … Continued
My group’s research is devoted to the synthesis of novel molecular substances, thus paving the way for exploratory reactivity studies and the study of chemical structure and bonding. Much of the research is organized around themes of small molecule and strong bond activation, including investigations of molecular nitrogen cleavage by low-coordinate transition-metal complexes and carbon … Continued
My lab is interested in bridging chemistry, physics, materials sciences, electrical engineering and medicine through nanosciences and novel materials. Examples of my group’s work include the synthesis and application of novel carbon nanomaterials including carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoribbons. The high quality of these materials has broadly facilitated studies of the intrinsic physical properties of … Continued
My group has pioneered the use of shaped ultrafast pulses to probe and control chemical reactions. Currently, our fundamental research focuses on the development and characterization of super photobases and unraveling the reaction dynamics of H3+, the precursor-ion of most organic molecules in the universe. Our applied research includes improvements for biomedical imaging, post-translational modification … Continued
Research in the Chirik group is focused on sustainable chemistry and responsible use of the elements on the periodic table. Catalysis is widely recognized as a key driver of sustainability – but we asked the question, “is catalysis as sustainable as it can be?”. Because everything from medicines to kitchen utensils to alternative energy relies … Continued
The research focus of my group is the development of new catalysts for the synthesis of macromolecules as well as small molecules. Our research concentrates on developing new methods for reacting commodity feedstocks in unprecedented ways. Our current research centers on the development of homogeneous catalysts for olefin polymerization, heterocycle carbonylation, epoxide homo- and copolymerization, … Continued
Research in my group focuses on the dynamics of chemical reactions and in recent years the spectroscopy and collision dynamics of single nanoparticles. This has involved the development of coincidence spectroscopy, in particular the photoelectron-photofragment coincidence technique applied to negative ions that has allowed studies of elementary reactions providing a level of detail that benchmarks … Continued
In my research group, we utilize scanned probe microscopy to characterize a variety of materials on a nanometer length scale and with single molecule sensitivity. The materials we probe include metal and metal oxide nanocluster catalysts supported on titania; the interface between the polymer electrolyte membrane and the catalyst layer in hydrogen and direct methanol … Continued
Our group is interested in the development of catalytic reaction processes for applications in the synthesis of biologically active compounds.