Summary of Expertise
Synthesis, characterization, and manipulation of novel functional nanomaterials (metals and semiconductors); their long-range ordered assemblies and related nanoscale electron transfer; applications in fuel cells, photovoltaics and electronic devices

Research Interests
The research program in the Chen group is centered around electron transfer chemistry at the nanoscale, which includes three research projects. In the first project, we are interested in the electron transfer properties of nanometer-sized functional particles and their organized assemblies. Our strategy is to employ a series of chemical as well as physical manipulations to shed light onto the molecular origin of these unprecedented electrochemical phenomena. In the second project, we examine the electrocatalytic activity of these functional nanomaterials for fuel cell electrochemistry, such as oxidation of fuel molecules at the anode and oxygen reduction reaction at the cathode. In the third project, we explore the applications of nanoparticle materials as effective antimicrobial reagents.