Dan Thomas

Research Overview

We work in the interdisciplinary fields of Surface Science and Materials Science. The optical, electronic, and mechanical properties of materials are investigated to determine how the CHEMISTRY of the formation processes affects the PHYSICS of the final product.
Working in the field of nanotechnology, his research group studies and prepares materials with dimensions on the order of nanometers. In this range of size, matter takes on new and unusual characteristics that can be exploited in novel applications. Mechanical properties such as strength, resilience, and friction can be modified when nanoscale features are introduced. And when the feature size approaches the scale of the wavelength of electrons in matter (a few nanometers), the electrical and optical properties are also dramatically affected. Recent work in the lab has developed a procedure for photochemically and photoelectrochemically etching silicon to produce a pattern of fluorescing features, which suggests potential applications in display technology.

General area of interest:

• Nanostructured Materials and Nanotechnology

• Electrocatalysis

• Material Science

Prof. Thomas's web page