Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

About the PNAS Member Editor
Name Bawendi, Moungi G.
Location Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Primary Field Chemistry
Secondary Field Physics
 Election Citation
Bawendi is a pioneer in the synthesis and physical characterization of semiconductor materials in the nanometer size range, such as quantum dots. He established single quantum dot spectroscopy and demonstrated efficient electroluminescence from a monolayer of dots in an organic light emitting device. He is working with biomedical groups to design "smart" nanocrystals for potential in vivo applications.
 Research Interests
My laboratory focuses on the science and applications of nanocrystals, especially semiconductor nanocrystals (aka quantum dots). Our research ranges from the very fundamental to applications in electro-optics and biology. There is an ongoing synthetic effort to address the challenges of making new compositions and morphologies of nanocrystals, novel nanocrystal heterostructures, and new ligands so that the nanocrystals can be incorporated into hybrid organic/inorganic devices, or biological systems. The fundamental spectroscopic focus is currently largely at the single quantum dot level, where we are developing methods for probing the dynamical properties of the electronic electronic excitations in quantum dots at time scales between 100 psec and 1 msec. We are also investigating the physics of multiexcitons in various quantum dots using both ensemble time resolved methods, as well as single quantum dot photon correlation spectroscopies. We are studying the charge transport properties of films of dots or dot/organic and dot/inorganic hybrids, within our group and with collaborators. These fundamental transport properties are critical for designing devices such as electrically driven quantum dot based light emitters, lasers, photodetectors and photovoltaics. We are also collaborating with biology and biomedical groups to design nanocrystal probes that meet specific challenges. These include nanocrystals that selectively bind to single receptors on cell surfaces for tracking applications, creating "smart" nanocrystals that sense analytes to report back on concentrations of species, and systematic characterizations of the effect of size, morphology, charge, and other surface compositions, on the uptake (or clearance) of nanocrystals for potential in vivo applications.

 
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