Title: "Precision Synthesis of Semiconductor Nanoclusters: Connecting Coordination, Cluster, and Colloidal Chemistry"

Chenjie Zeng, Ph.D.

Department of Chemistry, University of Florida

Hosted By: Dr. Javier Vela 

Abstract: Semiconductor nanomaterials have broad applications in energy, information, and biomedical nanotechnologies. Advancing precision synthesis from the molecular scale to the nanoscale is crucial for reproducible synthesis, consistent properties, and atomic-level engineering of semiconductor nanomaterials. However, precision nanosynthesis has been a significant challenge due to the structural complexity of nanomaterials and their entangled reaction kinetics. Here, I will show our recent progress in combining coordination, cluster, and colloidal chemistry to achieve precise control and atomic-level engineering of semiconductor nanoclusters. The development of precise nanoscale reactions has enabled us to answer some important questions, including (i) how different ligands collaboratively passivate the nanocrystal surfaces, (ii) the origin of chirality and polarity in semiconductor nanostructures, (iii) the precise correlation between the excitonic transitions and electronic structures, and (iv) the atomic-level insights into the intricate reaction mechanisms. We expect that precision nanosynthesis will provide a designable approach to access a library of atomically precise semiconductor nanocrystals with tailored properties, thus enhancing their existing applications or enabling emergent ones.
 

Bio: Chenjie Zeng received her B.S. in Chemistry from Nankai University (Tianjin, China) in 2011 and her Ph.D. in Chemistry under the supervision of Prof. Rongchao Jin from Carnegie Mellon University in 2016. She was a NatureNet Science postdoctoral fellow with Profs. Christopher B. Murray and Cherie R. Kagan at the University of Pennsylvania from 2017–2019. She joined the Department of Chemistry at the University of Florida as an assistant professor in 2019. Research in her group centers around precision nanochemistry and nanomaterials, with emphasis on developing synthetic methods for atomically precise nanomaterials, understanding the structure and property correlations of nanomaterials at the atomic level, as well as assembling the nanoparticle building blocks into thin films and bulk solids for better energy conversion and exotic physical properties.