Stephen O'Brien
Columbia University, Materials Science and Engineering, Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics

Nanocrystals can be considered building blocks in the rational design of new materials based on self assembly. Such procedures and concepts are often considered essential to progress in nanotechnology. We have developed methods to prepare nanocrystals of the transition metal oxides, which represent a broad and appealing range of properties and subsequent applications, spanning magnetic, dielectric, optical and catalytic. In collaboration with IBM, we have also investigated the ability of nanocrystals (semiconducting, metallic and magnetic) to form self-assembled ordered structures.