COLLABORATION IN BASIC SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (COBASE)

(left to right) A. Rogach, N. Kotov, D. Nagesha.

From October 4, 1999 to March 31, 2000, Andrey Rogach of the Belorussian State University visited Nicholas Kotov of the Oklahoma State University Department of Chemistry. The first objective of this visit was to achieve the 2D crystallization of thiol-stabilized cadmium telluride at air-water interface by using a Langmuir-Blodgett monolayer as a template. Drs. Kotov and Rogach planned to develop nanoparticles thin film preparation techniques as an extension of the first goal. They obtained their first objective within the first eight weeks of the visit, and were subsequently able to continue research on the thin film preparation, as well as on the synthesis and use of other nanocrystals.

The visit allowed Dr. Rogach to learn techniques and use equipment available at Oklahoma State University, such as the Langmuir-Blodgett and layer-by-layer deposition methods, and AFM and STM techniques. In turn, Dr. Kotov’s group benefited from the visit of Dr. Rogach by learning methods of wet-chemical synthesis of luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals. Moreover, new synthetic methods and techniques have been mutually developed. The results obtained during the collaboration have been summarized in three publications, and two more are in preparation. Drs. Rogach and Kotov were also able to contribute to three conferences. The research performed during Dr. Rogach’s stay has provided a basis for future collaboration, and the two researchers have already begun preparing a proposal to continue their research.