to the Zharov Research Group. Our research program covers several areas of modern materials and nanochemistry, including the synthesis and investigation of mesoporous materials, self-assembled structures and nanoparticles. In particular, we design, synthesize, and study: (1) functional membrane materials; and (2) functional nanoparticles. The applications of our work in these areas are separations, drug delivery, biosensors, fuel cells, batteries and catalysis. We also study nanoconfinement effects on chemical reactivity and on physical properties of hydrocarbons. This fundamental work has applications in the areas of polymer science and energy production.
In our work we identify fundamental questions of structure and function, with an eye on potential applications, and study these questions. Our fundamental understanding then allows us to design materials that will provide useful properties and functions. We use organic and inorganic synthesis to prepare these materials, and rely on a variety of analytical techniques for characterization. Making useful materials is hard without interacting with researchers from other areas of chemistry, and from engineering and medical fields. Therefore, our work is highly interdisciplinary and collaborative.
