Our research interests are centered on the development of functional nanomaterials and devices based on the assembly of organic/inorganic materials into micro- and nanostructures. We are interested in exploiting the fabrication strategies combining “bottom-up” assembly and “top-down” lithography to hierarchically organize organic and inorganic nanomaterials on multiple length scales. For the solution-based “bottom-up” assembly of nanomaterials (carbon nanotubes, graphenes, nanowires, nanoparticles, etc.), we engineer the surface properties of nanomaterials and substrates for the controlled molecular interactions between nanomaterials, solvents, and substrates. For the “top-down” lithography, we exploit various unconventional lithography methods (soft-lithography, colloids assembly, polymer self-assembly, etc.) in addition to the conventional photolithography and e-beam lithography. By controlling the surface chemistry of nanomaterials and physical confinement
of lithographic templates, we understand the principles of nanomaterials assembly and find exact strategies for the specific design of hierarchical structures. We also seek to understand the fundamental physical properties of individual nanomaterials and the collective behavior of the organized micro- and nanostructures, which is central to the rational development of functional devices. Ultimately, we intend to use these micro- and nanostructures in electronics, optics, sensors, and biomedical devices.