Jin Zhong Zhang Research Group

University of California, Santa Cruz

How can engineered nanomaterials enable faster charge dynamics and novel optical or catalytic functions for energy and sensing applications? The Zhang Research Group synthesizes semiconductor and metal nanocrystals, quantum dots, and magic-sized clusters using inorganic colloidal chemistry methods to probe ultrafast carrier and spin dynamics. Researchers employ femtosecond laser spectroscopy, SERS, XAFS/XPS and microscopy to characterize exciton, spin, and charge relaxation processes in doped and undoped nanomaterials. The group develops perovskite and metal-halide nanostructures and studies circularly polarized luminescence and chiral coordination to advance LEDs, photocatalysis, and sensing. They investigate photoelectrochemical water splitting and hydrogen generation using novel nanowires and oxide nanostructures.