Nanostructured Layered Composites: from Optoelectronics and Ultrastrong Materials to Biomedical Applications

Professor Nicholas Kotov, Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan
ABSTRACT:
Layered nanocomposites can be prepared from polymers and a variety nanocolloids such as nanoparticles, nanowires, nanotubes, clay platelets, and proteins by layer-by-layer assembly (LBL). Monolayers of the organic and inorganic materials are deposited in regular stacks determined by the deposition protocol. Control of distance and orientation of nanocolloids in the multilayers affords fine-tuning of the composite properties – optical, electronic, mechanical and biological. Recent examples of composite materials from nanoparticles and SWNT include biosensors, and ultrastrong materials, cell scaffolds, and replica of different organs.

BIO:
Nicholas A. Kotov was born in Moscow (Russia) in 1965. He graduated with honors from the Chemistry Department of Moscow State University in 1987. He subsequently received his Ph.D. degree in 1990 (advisor Prof. M. Kuzmin) for the research on photoinduced ion transfer processes at the liquid-liquid interface. From 1992, he joined the group of Prof. J. Fendler at the Chemistry Department of Syracuse University as a post-doctoral associate, where he started working on synthesis of nanoparticles and layer-by-layer assembly of nanostructured materials. Nicholas Kotov moved to Oklahoma State University to take a position of Assistant Professor in 1996, where he was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor in 2001. Currently, Nick Kotov is an Associate Professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor sharing this appointment with the Departments of Materials Science and Biomedical Engineering. His research interests in the field of nanostructured material include, synthesis of new nanocolloids, their organization in functional assemblies, layer-by-layer assembled nanocomposites, computer modeling of self-organization processes, ultrastrong materials from organized nanocolloids, nanowire-based nanodevices, biosensing applications of nanomaterials, interface of nanomaterials with living cells, and cancer treatment and diagnostics with nanoparticles. He received several state, national and international awards for the research on nanomaterials among which are Mendeleev stipend, Humboldt fellowship and CAREER award.