Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials

Shawn-Yu Lin was honored for developing the “darkest nano-material on Earth,” (pictured here) which could have applications in photonics, electronic materials, and solar energy capture

The broad research vision under this thrust builds from the fundamental understanding—experimental, theoretical, and computational—of the underlying atomic and molecular properties of a wide range of nanostructured materials. We integrate research across the broad spectrum of engineering and the physical and chemical sciences at Rensselaer—as we seek to develop robust, affordable, and sustainable methods for manufacturing new materials and the hierarchical systems and products based upon them.

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Dark Matters

Nanophotonics expert and physics professor Shawn-Yu Lin received the 2016 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Nanotechnology Council Pioneer Award in Nanotechnology “for pioneering contributions to the development of 3-D optical photo crystals and the discovery of the darkest nano-material on Earth.”

Exploring Phosphorene

Two-dimensional phosphane, a material known as phosphorene, has potential application as a material for semiconducting transistors in ever faster and more powerful computers. But there’s a hitch. Many of the useful properties of this material, like its ability to conduct electrons, are anisotropic, meaning they vary depending on the orientation of the crystal.