The Harvey Research Group focuses on controlling the form and function of colloidal inorganic nanocrystals. As an interdisciplinary group we aim to solve fundamental questions related to spin, magnetism, charge transport, photochemistry, and nanocrystal formation. The materials we study offer innovative solutions to a range of next-generation technology challenges in quantum computing, spintronics, thermal energy storage, and catalysis. Researchers in the Harvey group develop cross-disciplinary skills in wet-chemical nanocrystal synthesis as well as magneto-optical and time-resolved spectroscopies. Their training prepares them to serve as future leaders and scientists. Below are a few research areas we are working on.
Our Research
Hybrid Inorganic-Organic Qubits: Hybrid inorganic-organic qubits comprised of nanocrystals and molecular acceptors combine the benefits of semiconductor spin physics with atomic precision. These systems have potential as spin qubit pairs for quantum computing and as single photon emitters for quantum communication. We examine covalent inorganic nanocrystal donor - molecular acceptor systems using ultrafast techniques such as transient absorption and time-resolved photoluminescence. Our work ranges from fundamental photophysics of the nanocrystal building blocks to charge/energy transfer in these hybrid systems.
Photomagnetic Nanomaterials: Photomagnetic materials undergo reversible changes in magnetic properties (coercivity, saturation, anisotropy, ordering) upon illumination due to photoinduced intervalence charge transfer, making them promising materials for magnetic switches, optical sensors, and data storage. However, the lack of mechanistic understanding of this phenomenon precludes design and optimization of materials. We develop structure function relationships between composition, charge transfer, and magnetism using nanocrystal analogues as model systems of known solid-state photomagnets and use these tenets as design rules to extend photomagnetic functionality through doping and heterostructures.
Phase Change Nanomaterials: Thermal energy storage has the potential to drastically reduce carbon emission by reducing heating/cooling demands and reducing output intermittency in renewable energy sources. The design of new phase-change materials is critical for enhancing this technology. Nanocrystals are ideal candidates due to their composition tunability and size-dependent phase transitions, which allow for designing thermal properties for different energy storage needs. We study the phase transition properties as a function of size and composition for a variety of ternary nanomaterials.
Photochemical Synthesis: The use of light to drive reactions in nanoscience has predominately been limited to systems that are already well-developed through thermal methods. The Harvey Group develops new protocols for synthesis with an emphasis on using photochemistry to drive the formation of compositions that have traditionally been difficult to synthesize as nanocrystals. We use photoreactors to target precursors that are either notoriously unreactive or too reactive under standard thermal conditions.