Magic-Sized Clusters as Universal Intermediates for Nanomaterials Discovery

With the support of the Macromolecular, Supramolecular, and Nanochemistry Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Brandi Cossairt of the University of Washington will find ways to make materials called nanocrystals with new, unique properties. She will achieve this by studying how nanocrystals grow from special starting materials known as magic-sized clusters. The fundamental chemistry knowledge of how the structure and composition of these clusters govern the properties of nanocrystals would enable the rational design of new nanomaterials for emerging applications. This research could help create breakthroughs in cutting-edge technologies, including electronics, photonics, quantum information, and catalysis. In addition, Professor Cossairt will contribute to workforce development and education by providing interdisciplinary research training to graduate and undergraduate students, including those from local community colleges, organizing a regional nanoscience workshop, and creating open-access learning materials for new learners in nanoscience. Professor Cossairt and her team will expand the library of known magic-sized clusters across different semiconductor families, develop chiral clusters that can transfer their chirality to larger nanostructures, pioneer methods for low-barrier compositional tuning, and develop a high throughput strategy for studying the conversion of magic-sized clusters to larger nanostructures. These efforts aim to transform the field of nanoscience by developing new and generalizable strategies for semiconductor nanocrystal synthesis, enabling precise control of material properties at the atomic level, and bridging the knowledge gap between molecules and functional nanomaterials. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.