Nanofemtosecond Laboratory

The Nanofemtosecond Laboratory team has developed specialized expertise in the synthesis of inorganic, nanoparticle, and organic semiconductor materials. The lab produces nanocrystals whose size, shape, and composition are controlled by means of wet chemistry using the hot-injection method, whereby molecular precursors interact with liquids containing certain chemical species before clumping together on the surface of nanoparticles in a growth phase. Researchers transform these materials into thin films and incorporate them into functional devices and adapted prototypes to measure the optoelectronic and electrochemical properties used to generate, transport, and collect photocurrent.

The lab is also involved in molecular self-assembly and on-surface and interfacial polymerization. Self-assembly is a production method used to adapt materials at the molecular level through the design of elementary building blocks. These blocks can be connected to create two-dimensional polymers with high carrier mobility and activate new quantum phenomena. Creating materials that can be modulated at the molecular level presents new opportunities for a wide range of electronic and photonic applications.

Investigation tools allow researchers to study the morphology of thin films and nanoparticles at the nanoscale with a view to linking their structural and intrinsic properties. Modifying the optical, electronic, mechanical, and chemical characteristics of nanomaterials can improve their resistance to extreme environmental conditions and make them more efficient for catalysis, cracking, water decontamination, and energy conversion.