We have developed three-dimensional (3D) nanoachitecture based surface enhnaced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) technology and demonstrated that it can be used for the diagnosis of bacteria, virus, Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers, cancer, explosives and toxic chemicals.Our 3D technology has the c

Despite rapid progress in the efficiency of organohalide perovskite based solar cells, physical mechanisms underlying their efficient charge separation and slow charge recombination still elude us. In this work, we provide first direct evidence of spontaneous charge separation via first-pr

Outcome: In collaboration with experimental studies at Princeton University we have carried out ab initio calculations to examine the effect of pressure on the topological phase diagram of Pb1-xSnxTe. The calculations reveal that the ferroelectric polarization, which breaks crystal inversi

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs), have shown a remarkable increase in photoconversion efficiency (PCE), from 3.8%  in 2009, to 22.1% in 2016. The good electron transporting and solution processable properties of fullerene derivatives make them the most popular electron transporting materials

Outcome: We have developed a novel method for the synthesis of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) by using two amino acids, which are non-toxic natural materials containing nitrogen groups for easy surface modification. The synthesis process was easy, efficient and no toxic chemicals were involv

Outcome: In collaboration with experimental studies at Princeton University we have carried out ab initio calculations to examine the effect of pressure on the topological phase diagram of Pb1-xSnxTe. The calculations reveal that the ferroelectric polarization, which breaks crystal inversi

Intellectual Merit: Carbon-based materials have attracted scientific interest due to their promise to revolutionize the electronics industry. Carbon Spheres (CS) were produced via hydrothermal carbonization of sucrose. A Schottky diode was fabricated using a composite of the highly conduct

Our research supported by the NSF PREM project studied the synthesis, fabrication, and characterization of advanced materials for sensing, energy harvesting, and storage. Our integrated 3D printing with in-situ functionalization of piezoelectric nanocomposite enabled us design nanocomposit

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs), have shown a remarkable increase in photoconversion efficiency (PCE), from 3.8%  in 2009, to 22.1% in 2016. The good electron transporting and solution processable properties of most fullerene derivatives make them the most popular electron transporting mater

How? Synthesizing and isolation of ultra-small gold nanoparticles with a specific shape or structure. We have developed a facile approach for shape-controlled synthesis of gold nanoparticles using KBr and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) as the reducing agent.