Faculty  Inorganic/Materials Chemistry 
Born Minsk, Belarus, 1975.
Belarusian State University, Minsk, Diploma 1996.
University of Hamburg, Germany, Ph.D. 2002.
IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY, Postdoctoral Fellow, 2003-2005.
The Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, Staff Scientist 2005-2007.
University of Chicago, Assistant Professor 2007-.
 
Accolades
2007 LMUexcellent Fellowship, Germany.
2004 IBM Invention Achievement Award.
1996 Diploma with Honors, Belarusian State University.
1995 National Academy of Science Student Award.
1994 ISF (International Soros Foundation) Fellowship.
1991 1st Prize of the USSR Chemistry Olympiad.
Dmitri Talapin
Assistant Professor
Office: 929 E. 57th St., GCIS E 205, Chicago, IL 60637
Phone: 773-834-2607 Fax: 773-832-5863
Email: dvtalapin@uchicago.edu
GROUP WEBPAGE: http://talapinlab.uchicago.edu
 
Research Interests

Our research focuses on chemistry, physics and material science of inorganic nanostructures. By combining expertise in colloidal synthesis, self-assembly and characterization of nanomaterial properties our group creates novel materials for electronic, photovoltaic, thermoelectric and catalytic applications.
 
Colloidal synthesis of inorganic nanostructures is developing into a new branch of synthetic chemistry. Starting with preparations of simple objects like spherical nanoparticles, the field is now moving toward more and more sophisticated structures where composition, size, shape and connectivity of multiple parts of a multicomponent structure can be tailored in an independent and predictable manner.

Examples of semiconductor and magnetic nanomaterials synthesized by colloidal chemistry techniques.
 
Inspired by the way most solids form in nature, with individual atoms or molecules assembling themselves into rigid, highly uniform arrays, we study assembly of monodisperse nanocrystals into ordered superstructures. Assembling nanoscale functional building blocks provides a powerful modular approach to the design of novel materials and ‘metamaterials’ with programmable physical and chemical properties.

Self-assembly of monodisperse nanocrystals into ordered superlattices and “crystals” constructed from functional nanocrystal building blocks.
 
Bringing together compounds of intrinsically different functionality constitutes a particularly powerful route to creating novel functional materials with synergetic properties found in neither of the constituents. Binary nanoparticle superlattices (BNSL) self-assembled from different combinations of semiconductor, magnetic, metallic and dielectric nanocrystals show amazing structural diversity. The range of materials which can be used as building blocks in BNSL structures seems to be limited only by our ability to make a particular material in form of monodisperse nanoparticles. Self-assembly of functional nanoparticles into single- and multicomponent superlattices offers nearly endless possibilities for creating novel materials for a range of applications from photovoltaic and thermoelectric devices to non-linear optics, multiferroics and multicomponent catalysts. However, we have very limited understanding of the processes which govern BNSL formation and determine stability of different structures. We investigate the fundamental aspects of self-assembly in the nanoworld.

Binary nanoparticle superlattices self-assembled from different combinations of semiconductor, magnetic, metallic and dielectric nanocrystals show amazing structural diversity. The insets show sketches of the superlattice unit cells.
 
Nanocrystal superlattices constitute a novel type of condensed matter whose properties originate both from the properties of individual nanocrystals and the collective phenomena caused by the crosstalk of the superlattice building blocks. We study electronic properties (carrier mobility, doping, charge transport mechanism, photoconductivity, thermopower) and heat transport in single- and multicomponent nanocrystal solids. The knowledge obtained from fundamental studies of nanocrystal assemblies will be used for development of practical solution-processed devices utilizing nanocrystals and nanocrystal assemblies. Performance of printable nanocrystal transistors compares favorably with devices based on organic molecules and conducting polymers. The nanocrystal field effect transistors allow reversible switching between n- and p-transport, providing options for printable complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuits and p-n junctions.

Self-assembled nanocrystal solids can be used for designing novel electronic, photovoltaic and thermoelectric devices. An example shows n-type Field Effect Transistors assembled from PbSe nanocrystals.
 
Selected Scholarly Publications
 
M. V. Kovalenko, M. Scheele, D. V. Talapin. “Colloidal Nanocrystals with Molecular Metal Chalcogenide Surface Ligands.” Science 324, 1417-1420 (2009).
S. Chanyawadee, R. T. Harley, M. Henini, D. V. Talapin, P. G. Lagoudakis. “Photocurrent enhancement in hybrid nanocrystal quantum dot / p-i-n photovoltaic devices.” Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 077402 (2009).
J.-S. Lee, E. V. Shevchenko, D. V. Talapin. “Au-PbS Core-Shell Nanocrystals: Plasmonic Absorption Enhancement and Electrical Doping via Interparticle Charge Transfer.” J. Am. Chem. Soc., 130, 9673-9675 (2008).
M. V. Kovalenko, W. Heiss, E. V. Shevchenko, J.-S. Lee, H. Schwinghammer, A. P. Alivisatos, D. V. Talapin. “SnTe nanocrystals: A New Example of Narrow Gap Semiconductor Quantum Dots.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 129, 11354-11355 (2007).
D. V. Talapin, J. H. Nelson, E. V. Shevchenko, S. Aloni, B. Sadtler, A. P. Alivisatos. “Seeded growth of highly luminescent CdSe/CdS nanoheterostructures with rod and tetrapod morphologies.” Nano Letters 7, 2951-2959 (2007).
J. J. Urban, D. V. Talapin, E. V. Shevchenko, C. R. Kagan, C. B. Murray. "Synergistic Effects in Binary Nanocrystal Superlattices: Enhanced p-type Conductivity in Self-Assembled PbTe/Ag2Te Thin Films." Nature Materials, 6, 115-121 (2007).
E. V. Shevchenko, D. V. Talapin, N. A. Kotov, S. O’Brien, C. B. Murray. "Structural Diversity in Binary Nanoparticle Superlattices." Nature, 439, 55-59 (2006).
D. V. Talapin, C. B. Murray. "PbSe Nanocrystal Solids for n- and p-Channel Thin Film Field-Effect Transistors." Science, 310, 86-89 (2005).
D. V. Talapin, A. L. Rogach, E. V. Shevchenko, A. Kornowski, M. Haase, H. Weller. "Dynamic Distribution of Growth Rates within the Ensembles of Colloidal II-VI and III-V Semiconductor Nanocrystals as a Factor Governing their Photoluminescence Efficiency." J. Am. Chem. Soc. 124, 5782-5790 (2002).
D. V. Talapin, A. L. Rogach, M. Haase, H. Weller. "Evolution of an Ensemble of Nanoparticles in a Colloidal Solution: Theoretical Study." J. Phys. Chem. B, 105, 12278-12285 (2001).
 
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Last Modified: Monday, 06-Jul-2009 15:53:04 CDT