My research interests are in the synthesis and study of inorganic nanomaterials. Nanomaterials are an interesting class of substances that bridge the gap between the atomic world and the macroscopic world. A nanomaterial is defined as any substance that has at least one dimension less than 100 nm (1 nm is 1 billionth of a meter). At this small scale, new and exciting properties start to arise which can drastically alter how a substance reacts or responds to external stimuli.
There are currently 3 research projects I am focusing on. In the first project, we are investigating methods to create nanowires of methylammonium lead iodide. The goal of this project is to study how the nanowires affect the efficiency of solar cells made from methylammonium lead iodide. In the second project, we are exploring magnetic core/titanium dioxide shell nanoparticles for water purification. The goal of this project is to correlate the nanomaterial core and shell thickness to its disinfection properties. The last project is in conjunction with Dr. Bryan Wilkins in the biochemistry department. In this project, we are interested in creating enzymatic and microbial fuel cells. My role in the project is to create nanostructure electrodes to enhance electron collection from the enzymes and microbes.