Research Topic

Nanocomposites are composed of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) dispersed in polymer matrix. Such materials are highly demanded due to their superb optical or mechanical properties, and applied into display, nonvolatile memory devices, or sensors. However, NPs embedded in nanocomposite film usually suffer from severe aggregation due to their incompatibility with matrices. Our group specializes in judicious tuning of surface properties of NPs by attaching functional polymer ligands. By decorating NPs with polymer brushes, thermal/chemical stability of NPs and also their dispersion within film are far enhanced. Furthermore, various NPs can be photo-patternable by UV-crosslinkable polymer ligand. Specifically, inorganic quantum dots and perovskite nanocrystals are well patterned within few micrometer scale, resulting in pixelated pattern array or further applied into electrically-driven devices. In summary, our research targets at functionalizing inorganic NPs with various polymer ligands and utilizing into diverse applications.