Research

Developing fundamentally new materials, and new ways to fabricate them, is the core of the research program in The Fenton Lab. Work in our group focuses on creative synthetic problem solving at the interface of inorganic and organic materials, covering a range of fundamental and application-driven inquiries in colloidal nanosolids, porous materials, polymers, and extended hybrid solids. 

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Our lab is equipped to do high-level synthesis and key characterization in-house. Our research benefits from new, state-of-the-art equipment in our lab, including a bench top powder X-ray diffractometer, FT-IR and UV-Vis spectrometers, a double glovebox, numerous furnaces and ovens, all of which enable us to work efficiently and effectively. We have a thermal analysis instrument, a physisorption/chemisorption instrument for surface area, and an optical microscope for crystallography support. Check out our lab tour to preview our in-house capabilities. 

 

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Our lab's initial projects are underway and moving forward. We are currently focusing our efforts on exploring two major material classes: hybrid materials and colloidal nanocrystals. Both projects are driven by fundamental synthetic questions aimed at materials discovery, and emphasize detailed materials characterization.

 

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Lab members make extensive use of the facilities available in Penn State's Materials Characterization Lab (a short walk from our lab space!). These specialized techniques include scanning and transmission electron microscopy and single-crystal x-ray diffraction, among (many) others.

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If you have additional questions about research, please email Julie. We look forward to sharing the details of our science with you soon!