Associated Faculty
William Oates
Michael Shatruk
Research Example
Vibrant and diverse research pursued by FSU chemist and physicists covers a broad range of contemporary materials and methods, from the synthesis to cutting-edge characterization techniques. The research efforts are crossing borders between disciplines. Nevertheless, four major thrusts can be distinguished. Solid state chemists and condensed matter physicists investigate novel intermetallics, ceramics, glasses, etc. to develop materials for hydrogen storage, ferroelectric switching, magnetic and thermoelectric cooling. Molecular materials, such as organic conductors, spin-crossover complexes, single-molecule magnets, porous metal-organic frameworks are studied as alternatives to traditional solid state materials used in data storage, sensing, photovoltaics, gas separation, and molecular recognition. Nanomaterials provide the entry into the unique size regime, where surface and quantization effects offer new opportunities for catalysis, lighting, and drug delivery. In the area of biomaterials, coupling schemes are designed to attach nanoparticles to biological molecules such as DNA, in order to use the resulting assemblies for probing various biologically important processes. All these research efforts are conducted using state-of-the-art major research facilities that allow complete characterization of crystalline and amorphous structures, magnetic, electronic, and optical properties of materials.