FACULTY & STAFF
Clemens Burda
Associate Professor of Chemistry since 2006
Ph.D. University Basel (Switzerland)
Postdoctoral Fellow, Georgia Institute of Technology
NSF NIRT (PI: D. Dixon, Univ. of Alabama) 2007-2011
NSF Career Award for the years 2003 - 2008
ACS-PRF Type G Award 2003-2005
ACS-PRF Type AC 2006-2008
Dr. Burda's co-authored Review on the "Chemistry and Properties of Nanocrystals of Different Shapes" was one of the most accessed and cited publications in 2005 and 2006.
Dr. Clemens Burda is the Director of the Center for Chemical Dynamics and Nanomaterials Research in the Chemistry Department, Case Western Reserve University. Since 2001 he is appointed as a faculty in Physical Chemistry specializing on Nanoscience. His interests evolves around optically active or activatable nanomaterials for energy conversion. This applies in areas such as photovoltaics, photocatalysis, photobiology and biomedical applications, including bioimaging, therapy and tissue targeting for drug delivery. Prof. Burda received his chemistry education in Switzerland and graduated as a doctor of philosophy and science with honors in 1997 from the University of Basel. Dr. Burda is a reviewer for top-ranked nanoscience and chemistry journals, an editorial member for the International Journal of Nanotechnology, and an organizer of the Nanomaterials Conference at the 50th annual SPIE meeting in 2005. He is also the co-founder of Cleveland Nanocrystal Inc.
Nanoscience
Nanoscience leads to a wide range of applications from photo-electrochemical cells to bioanalytical assays. It is expected, that nanostructures play a pivotal role in the quickly rising areas of optical communication and optical computing. We synthesize semiconductor nanocrystals and control their sizes, compositions, and their surfaces and characterize them by optical spectroscopy with a time-resolution of 100 femotseconds to uncover the often surprising properties of the size-confined materials. Currently, we focus on the photoreactivity and exctited state relaxation of II-VI nanocrystals and will continue to study the novel electronic transport properties of increasingly complex nanoarchitectures.
From Molecular Electronics To Devices
Organic materials are the basis of increasingly many devices. However the electronic properties of organic materials, though fascinating, are complex and require detailed spectroscopic investigation. With femtosecond time-resolved laser spectroscopy and imaging techniques the study of individual or ensembles of molecules are performed. The goal of this research is to increase the understanding of the chemical dynamics and the electronic properties of molecules, assemblies, and nanocomposites. The uncovered novel concepts will be guide for the design of new devices.
We are particularly interested in studying the interfaces between molecules, nano-science, and macroscopic phenomena. Building devices from nanostructures needs to understand the interaction between molecules and nanostructures. We to build and study nanoconjugates of semiconducting nanocrystals and functional molecules or biofunctional groups, which lead to new systems with potential use in areas from nanoelectronics to molecular recognition.
Femtosecond Laser Spectroscopy
We use the latest laser and imaging technology available, to reveal the electronic and morphological properties of nanostructures. We use this state-of-the-art femtosecond technology to uncover the dynamics of photoexcited systems. The technology of creating and using ultrashort laser pulses is fundamental in Nobel Prize winning areas like Information Technology. Obviously, this is a hot playground to develop new and ambitious ideas.
Selected Publications
- Dayal, S.; Burda, Clemens. "Surface Effects on Quantum Dot-Based Energy Transfer". J. Am. Chem. Soc. (2007), 129(25): 7977-7981.
- Liu, Y.; Li, J.; Qiu, X.; Burda, Clemens. "Novel TiO2 nanocatalysts for wastewater purification: tapping energy from the sun". Water Science and Technology (2006), 54, 47-54.
- Dayal, S.; Lou, Y.; Samia, Anna C.S.; Berlin, J. C.; Kenney, M. E.; Burda, Clemens. "Observation of Non-Foerster-Type Energy-Transfer Behavior in Quantum Dot-Phthalocyanine Conjugates". J. Am. Chem. Soc. (2006), 128(43), 13974-13975. [abstract] [pdf] [supp. info]
- Qiu, Xiaofeng; Austin, Leah N.; Muscarella, Philip A.; Dyck, Jeffrey S.; Burda, Clemens. "Nanostructured Bi2Se3 Films and Their Theroelectric Transport Properties" Ange.Chem. Int. Ed. (2006), 45, 5656-5659. [abstract] [pdf]
- Qiu, X.; Lou, Y.; Samia, A. C. S.; Devadoss, A.; Burgess, J. D.; Dayal, S.; Burda, C. "PbTe Nanorods by Sonoelectrochemistry" Ange.Chem. Int. Ed. ; (2005), 44(36), 5855-7. [abstract] [pdf]
- Burda, C.; Chen, X.; Narayanan, R.; El-Sayed, M. A. "Chemistry and Properties of Nanocrystals of Different Shapes." Chem. Rev. (Review); (2005), 105(4), 1025-1102. [html] [pdf]