Unlike bulk materials, nanocrystals are incredibly sensitive to their local optical and electronic environment. The color, polarization, and even direction of light can be tuned by the local environment and structure of the nanocrystal. Understanding this phenomenon gives immense insight into the underlying physics of these materials as well as how they interact with and “talk” to eachother, allowing us to design new functionality and create "architected" materials.

We live in a truly exciting time: our understanding of how light interacts with matter has advanced significantly and we possess the means to fabricate these nano-materials that interact with visible light in extraordinary ways. Our group uses these foundations to design transformative photonic and optoelectronic devices, whether it's brighter, less energy intensive lighting, renewable energy concentrators that are more efficient and lighter than traditional lenses, or light demultiplexers for fast communication of complex information.