Research Overview We research new materials and methods for micro- and nanofabrication. The overarching motivation of this work is to build useful tools and functional devices (e.g., nanoelectronics, solar cells, sensors, photonic structures, etc.) in a simple, inexpensive, and scalable manner. Our approach is to (i) elucidate the fundamental properties of materials to understand their structure-property relationships such that they can harnessed in a useful manner, and (ii) develop new, unconventional approaches to fabricate and assemble structures into hierarchical, integrated devices. We use the materials and techniques developed in our laboratory to fabricate functional devices—with either improved performance or new attributes—such as nanoelectronics, microfluidic systems, and sensors. We are particularly interested in developing methods to fabricate micro- and nano-structured materials to improve the efficiency of functional devices that harvest, store, or consume energy (e.g. solar cells, batteries, and electronic devices). We are also exploring methods of self- and directed-assembly to organize nanostructures to form devices and new materials. Background & Motivation Photolithography—a “top down” approach to nanofabrication—is the state of the art method to form nanostructures; it is the keystone technology used to form the electronic components in devices such as computers and cell phones. Although photolithography is well-suited for semiconductor manufacturing, it does have several limitations: it is expensive, restricted to planar surfaces, and limited in resolution. “Bottom up” techniques (e.g., the synthesis of nanowires in solution) are capable of forming nanostructures, but these techniques are generally incapable of organizing the structures into useful devices in a scalable manner, and are often limited to structures with simple geometry. Much of our work is motivated to address one or more of the limitations of top-down and bottom-up techniques. More Information Please see our publications and research photo gallery.