UNAM Seminar: “Nano-plasmonics for Solar Energy Conversion, Biosensing and Photodynamic Therapy”, Prof. Dr. Pamela Sue Katz, 4PM 22 April (EN)

Dear Colleagues and Students,

You are cordially invited to UNAM Nanocolloquium seminars focusing on advancements in the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology. The seminars bring us the most recent developments in these exciting fields. This week’s talk will be presented by Prof. Nianqiang (Nick) Wu*

Title: Nano-plasmonics for Solar Energy Conversion, Biosensing and Photodynamic Therapy

Date: April 22, 2022 (Friday)
Time: 16:00

Topic: Nanocolloquium series
Join Zoom Meeting: please contact UNAM for details.

ABSTRACT:
Emerging of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) provides a new opportunity to mediate light management and photoconversion in optoelectronic and photoelectrochemical materials and devices. This talk will present our effort on fundamental understanding of the underlying mechanism of plasmon-enhanced photoconversion in metal-semiconductor heterojunctions. In particular, the presentation will discuss our newly discovered plasmon-induced resonance energy transfer (PIRET) mechanism, which is a new addition to the existing mechanisms such as light scattering and hot electron injection. The PIRET mechanism along with the hot electron transfer process suggests that plasmonic nanostructures can act as photo-sensitizers. This talk will show how to utilize plasmonic photo-sensitizers to develop semiconductor-based systems for photoelectrochemical sensing, photodynamic therapy and artificial photosynthesis. The theoretical maximum efficiency of energy conversion in plasmonic metal-semiconductor heterojunctions is predicted. Our results show that plasmon promotes biosensing, precision medicine and solar energy conversion.

About the Speaker:
Dr. Nianqiang (Nick) Wu is currently Armstrong-Siadat Endowed Chair Professor in Materials Science at University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA. He received his Ph.D. degree in Materials Science & Engineering from Zhejiang University, China in 1997. He was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University of Pittsburgh from 1999 to 2001. Afterwards he directed Keck Surface Science Center at Northwestern University in USA in 2001-2005. He then joined West Virginia University (WVU) as Assistant Professor in 2005, promoted to Associate Professor in 2010, Full Professor in 2014 and George B. Berry Chair of Engineering in 2019. He moved to UMass Amherst in 2020.

Dr. Wu is Fellow of the Electrochemical Society (FECS), Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) and American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (F-AIMBE). He is named Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate Analytics (Web of ScienceTM). He has received the Electrochemical Society (ECS) Sensor Division Outstanding Achievement Award, Benedum Distinguished Scholar Award, Alice Hamilton Award for Excellence in Occupational Safety & Health, and WVU Statler College Outstanding Researcher Award. He served as Board of Directors in the Electrochemical Society (ECS) and Chair of ECS Sensor Division in the past.

Dr. Wu’s research interests lie in the intersection of optics, electrochemistry and materials science; and his research has four thrusts: (i) plasmonics and optical spectroscopy, (ii) photocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis, (iii) electrochemical energy storage, and (iv) biosensing, point-of-care testing, and photodynamic therapy. He has authored or co-authored about 200 journal articles, 3 book chapters and 1 book entitled “Biosensors Based on Nanomaterials and Nanodevices”. More details can be seen on his homepage (https://people.umass.edu/nianqiangwu/index.htm)

* University of Massachusetts Amherst