RESEARCH IN NANOCRYSTALS & NANOWIRES

Multinary Compound Si, Ge and Sn Derived Nanocrystals: Composition, Shape and Heterostructure Control via Solution Methods

NanoIVcrystals

Project Start Date April 2018- Duration 4 Years

Funded by Science Foundation Ireland

• The aim of this proposal is to specifically target multi-element compound nanomaterials that encompass the group elements Si, Ge, Sn and to realise these structures using solution chemistry.
• Structures and compositions that will be targeted will be the most elusive but most technologically important in binary, ternary and quaternary compositions, in particular intermetallics, heterostructures, perovskites and compound metal chalcogenides.
• The unifying challenge is in the experimental design that will allow rational incorporation of these elements as needed, requiring balancing of the precursor decomposition with nucleation and growth of the desired material with size and shape control.
• The approaches will cover non-seeded (colloidal) and seeded routes (VLS and SLS) to obtain the desired structures in low temperature solution processes and will obtain detailed insights into nucleation and growth of these structures using aberration corrected electron microscopy.

Team Members

Prof Kevin M Ryan, Dr Uma Ghorpade, Dylan Storan, Esther Adegoke, Maria Zubair, Mohini Mishra

05.12.2018.
Prof. Kevin Ryan, MSSI/Bernal Institute, University of Limerick. Picture: Alan Place

Dr Uma Ghorpade

Dylan Storan

Esther Adegoke

Mohini Mishra

Collaborators: Prof Andreu Cabot (IREC Barcelona), Prof James Cahoon(UNC-Chapel Hill), Prof Ursel Bangert (University of Limerick)