Nanochemistry of emerging materials

Focus
Electron and ion beam chemistry, Nanoscale Fabrication, Two Dimensional Materials, Reactive Plasmas, Directed Assembly and Nanoscale Characterisation.

Group Leader
Dr Charlene Lobo

My research group develops new methods of functionalizing and tailoring the properties of advanced materials such as the two-dimensional semiconductor black phosphorus and the wide bandgap insulator hexagonal boron nitride at the nanoscale. We do this by using charged particle beams (electrons, ions, plasma beams, or a combination of all three) to dissociate molecules adsorbed from the gas phase, resulting in highly localised deposition or etching of the desired material. We have used our unique capabilities to achieve nanoscale etching of hexagonal boron nitride, to direct the assembly of nanodiamonds into ordered arrays, and to develop methods of reducing the rate of degradation of few-layer black phosphorus in ambient and humid environments. Current research is focused on emerging elemental semiconductors such as few-layered black phosphorus and layered III-V semiconductors like 2D InSe. The high reactivity and lack of stability of many of these materials poses a problem for fabrication, testing and prototyping of biomedical, sensing and photonic devices using standard techniques such as focused ion beam or reactive plasma irradiation. By developing new ways to study and employ the chemical reactions of these materials at the nanoscale, our research will enable development of ultraprecise gas sensors and photocatalysts, neuromorphic and biomedical devices and photodetectors. 

The group receives funding from several sources, including the ARC Linkage Project scheme, and the German academic network DAAD. We also have ongoing research collaborations with other UTS researchers (in Faculty of Engineering and IT, and the Institute  of Biomedical Devices), at CSIRO, Monash university, RMIT, University of Sydney, University of Bremen and international companies Thermo Fisher and ETP.