Chemistry Seminar Presented by Dr. Samantha Harvey: "Form and Function: Understanding and Controlling Processes at the Nanoscale Through Synthesis and Spectroscopy"

The Department of Chemistry is excited to host Dr. Samantha Harvey (University of Washington) on Monday, February 17, 2025 for a departmental seminar. "Form and Function: Understanding and Controlling Processes at the Nanoscale Through Synthesis and Spectroscopy" At the nanoscale, magnetic, optical, electronic, and thermal processes can differ drastically from their bulk counterparts. These deviations stem from reduced crystalline domains, large surface areas, and quantum confinement, leading to physical and chemical properties intricately dependent on size, morphology, and ligand identity as opposed to purely compositional structure. This remarkable tunability, combined with their solution processability, positions colloidal nanocrystals as promising candidates for applications including photovoltaics, catalysis, spintronics, and quantum-based technologies. However, before we can input these materials into devices we need to understand and control the fundamental processes governing their formation and function. In this talk I will share three short stories about how shrinking materials to the nanoscale can impact their properties in constructive (and destructive) ways. I'll begin by covering my most recent work on the synthesis of ferrimagnetic CuCr2Se4 nanocrystals and how their nanoscale form enables unique redox and cation exchange chemistry. The second story explores how the surfaces of CuInSe2 nanocrystals, and the ligands that terminate them, can have drastic effects on carrier dynamics and heat dissipation. In the last story, I will transition to nanocrystal donor - molecular acceptor complexes, which can undergo spin-polarized electron transfer. The unique electronic structure of the nanocrystal dictates the final spin orientation and the potential for these systems to be used as qubits for quantum computing is probed using time-resolved optical and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. To learn more about Dr. Harvey's research, please visit: https://depts.washington.edu/gmrg/people/samantha_harvey.html Seminar hosted by Prof. Matthew Becker