The research activities are divided into 5 research units including
I. Advanced Materials
II. Biomaterials
III. Functional Polymers and Bioplastics
IV. Nanomaterials for Renewable Energy
V. Advanced Characterization of Materials
I. ADVANCED MATERIALS
The research interest of this unit is synthesis and characterization of nanoscale materials which possess unique physical, chemical, optical and electrical properties. The current research is to investigate structural and physico-chemical properties of
binary and ternary semiconducting nanostructure including alloy, composite and heterostructures. Our interest involves fabrication of low-dimensional semiconducting nanomaterials such as quantum dots, nanowires and nanosheets for applications in solar energy conversion, hydrogen generation and optoelectronic devices.
Contact person:Nattasamon Petchsang
II. BIOMATERIALS
The research unit focuses on understanding and design of materials related to biology. The current projects include transport selectivity through nano-channel, recognition of biomolecule, biopolymer-based nanoparticles for diagnosis and therapy, and development of biomaterials for tissue engineering and implantation. We employ wide range techniques from theoretical/com
putational to experimental to study these works. For example, the statistical mechanics of molecular liquid theory has been applied to study transport selectivity of nano-channels, synthesis of polymer-based nanoparticles has been conducted for developing water-insoluble anticancer drugs and radiopharmaceuticals, and fabrication of composite scaffolds for bone repair.
The research unit focuses on the development of polymers and nanomaterials towards agricultural, environmental and constructional purposes. The agricultural and environmental research involves molecular design, synthesis and characterization of natural and synthetic polymers and nanomaterials. The current research includes biopolymer-based nanoparticles, super-absorbent nanogel, hydrogel, and surface modification as reactive film. For packaging materials, the research is emphasized on the development of copolymers series and nanofillers for polymer composite approaching potential bioplastics for an upcoming alternative biodegradable packaging. We are also interested in functionalization and bulk/surface modification of nanoparticles in order to improve heat resistance, superhydrophobicity and UV-absorption properties. Biomimetic functional materials based on molecular imprinting technology for selective capturing and sensing of small- and macromolecules are also our interest.
Our group works on catalysts, perovskites, conductive polymers and natural materials for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, solar cell applications and waste water treatment. Examples are : reduced cobalt phases of ZrO2 and Ru/ZrO2 promoted cobalt catalysts and product distributions from Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, carbon black-LaCoO3 perovskite composite material as counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cell, conductive polymers such as poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) as hole conductor and counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cell and organometal halide perovskite solar cell, metal oxide semiconductor as photo-electrode for photo-electrochemical water splitting and nano-porous TiO2 film electrode of a photo-electrochemical system for chemical waste treatment.
Our research group is conducting the experimental and computational works to study the atomic-scale structure and properties of various advanced materials, including semiconductors, magnetic materials, metal-oxide materials and catalysts. Moreover, we are exploiting in-situ dynamic measurement technologies to elucidate the structural evolution of materials during reaction, related to the material creation and functionality, in real-time.
The comprehensive characteristic of materials can be clarified by employing various analytical techniques: – Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS) for elemental analysis – Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopic (TEM) and Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) for morphology visualization – Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) for nanostructure analysis – X-ray Diffraction (XRD) for crystal structure analysis – X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) for surface chemical analysis – Photoemission Electron Microscopy (PEEM) for surface chemical visualization – X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) for local and electronic structure analysis – Infrared and Raman Spectroscopy for chemical bonding and molecular structure
