Kirk J Ziegler

Research at a glance...

Nanotechnology is a new era of technological discovery that has the potential to enable critical new inventions in a wide variety of fields including microelectronics, manufacturing, information technology, healthcare, biotechnology, energy, and materials science. The study of nanoscale objects is not just another step towards miniaturization but leads to unprecedented understanding and control over the fundamental building blocks of nature and materials. New developments in nanotechnology are likely to change how all materials are processed.

The high surface area of nanomaterials dictates that the interface with their surroundings is important in determining their properties or functionality. In addition, the forces acting on these structures have important implications in processing and integrating them into useful applications. Our group focuses on understanding the role of interfaces in these processes, including the dispersion, characterization, and separation of nanomaterials.

Single-wall Carbon Nanotubes Since the discovery of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) they have attracted much attention due to their unique electronic and mechanical properties. Since all atoms in a SWCNT exist on the surface, their properties depend on the interaction with other materials. For this reason, SWCNTs have excellent sensing capabilities. Altering the interface...[More]

Nanowire Arrays One dimensional (1D) structures, or nanowires, are expected to play a role in future integrated circuits as both devices and interconnects. One of the most successful approaches for producing nanowires is based on the vapor -liquid-solid (VLS) growth process described nearly 40 years ago by Wagner and Ellis. Several researchers have used...[More]

New Surface Coatings around SWCNTs The surfactant surrounding the nanotube in an aqueous suspension provides many benefits. However, the inability to alter the surface properties often limits the functionality of the nanotube. The formation of different coatings around SWCNTs will alter their surfaces, changing their wettability and stability... [More]

Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) mimic photosynthesis. A chromophore sensitizer (usually a ruthenium-based dye) is used in DSSCs to harvest photons. Photons absorbed by a monolayer of the dye create excitons that are rapidly split resulting in the injection of electrons into the conduction band of a large band gap semiconductor...[More]

Supercritical Fluids A supercritical fluid (SCF) is a compound, mixture or element above its critical pressure and critical temperature but below the pressure required to condense it to a solid. Many of the physical properties of SCFs vary with density. Small changes in pressure or temperature can cause large variations in the density of a SCF between gas-like and liquid-like... [More]

Fate, Transport, and Toxicity of Nanomaterials In collaboration with several colleagues, we are investigating multiple aspects of the fate, transport, and toxicity of nanomaterials. In a joint effort with Environmental Engineering Sciences, we have been coupling processing data with toxicity measurements to improve the processing of SWNTs while simultaneously reducing...[More]

Ziegler Research Group

Research at a glance...