Sandra Rosenthal, Ph.D.
Professor - Jack & Pamela Egan Chair, Departments of Chemistry, Physics & Astronomy, Pharmacology, and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Areas of Interest: Synthetic & Medicinal Chemistry; Nanotechnology; Imaging
Member: VINSE
In the Rosenthal group we study semiconductor nanocrystals, a unique material whose optical properties and electronic structure can be precisely tuned by controlling the size of the nanocrystal. In addition to developing new nanomaterials and conducting fundamental studies to understand the relationship between atomic structure and optoelectronic properties, we are specifically interested in two applications exploiting the properties of nanocrystals. The first is the use of fluorescent nanocrystals as biological probes for membrane proteins involved in neuronal signaling in order to elucidate molecular mechanisms in mental illness. In the second application we are exploring the possible use of nanocrystals as a white light emitter for implementation in solid state lighting.