Semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs, or quantum dots) are very bright chromophores which possess unlimited potentials in biological sensing and imaging, as well as for the efficient generation of renewable energy. This seminar will examine the synthesis of NCs by presenting our recent results on the development of novel semiconductor nanomaterials with asymmetric shapes which may have important uses for solar energy generation. Our group has also studied problems with the functionalization of NCs. Many existing methods for creating coupled NC / biological or chemical vector conjugates result in the quenching or precipitation of water soluble semiconductor nanocrystals. By directly synthesizing a series of novel activating reagents, our group has demonstrated the facile creation of fluorophores that can simultaneously function as biological imaging agents and optically report on the local environment. We have utilized these methods to synthesize ratiometric, or “selfcalibrating” sensors, for pH, for toxic metals, DNA, and proteins. Our group has recently devised a method for the specific optical detection of proteins with the lowest detection limit recorded to date.

Biography

Preston received a BS in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he graduated summa cum laude. After two years at Research Triangle Institute, Preston headed of to the Univeristy of California, Berkley. There he completed his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry with Charles B. Harris in 2002 and accepted a postdoctoral position with Moungi Bawendi at MIT. In 2006, Preston joined the faculty of the Chemistry department of UIC where his research group focuses on synthesizing new materials which display size.

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