Directed assembly example: atomic force microscopy imaged of gold nanoparticles that
spontaneously assembled on a molecular pattern written using Dip Pen NanoLithography.
Welcome
to the SuNMag Research Group Website!
SuNMag is the research
group of Francesco Stellacci, Finmeccanica Associate Professor of Materials
Science and Engineering.
SuNMaG research efforts are dedicated to the discovery of new properties
in nanoscale materials and to the development of new fabrication schemes
for device based on such materials.
Nanoscale materials are new .non-bulk. materials composed of units that
have at least one dimension in the nanometer size regime, each unit can be
isolated and studied individually or it can be used as a building block
for larger and more complex ensembles. Nanoparticles, nanorods, nanotubes
and nanowires are the most commonly known nanoscale materials. They are
mostly composed of an inorganic core and an organic ligand shell, thus
they are very complex supramolecular assemblies. In SuNMaG we study the
role of the ligand shell, i.e. we want to understand what properties can
be affected or modulated by changing the chemical nature of molecular
ligands.
We are presently using the molecular ligands as tools to modulate the (1)
biological, (2) electronic and (3) optical properties of metal
nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes. We also use the molecular ligands as
anchors to direct the self-assembly of these particles on lithographically
defined positions on a substrate.
The long term goal is to better understand the interfacial relationships
between organic molecules and inorganic surfaces.
We are in the Department
of Materials Science and Engineering. Our offices and labs are in
Building 13 (Bush Building).
For location of
our offices and laboratories, please see the MIT campus
map.
Thanks to all of our funding agencies:
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