Dr. Victoria Coleman, (National Measurement Institute, Sydney) "Nanoparticle Metrology" – March 15, 2012.

Dr. Liz Davies, Editor Royal Society journal PCCP – Feb 10, 2012.

Prof. Helmuth Moehwald, (Director, Max-Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces) – Feb 23, 2012.

Prof. Andrey Rogach (City University, Hong Kong) – " Nanoscale Research at City University", Feb 10, 2012.

Prof Stenbjorn Styring (Uppsala University, Sweden) – "From Natural to Artificial Photosynthesis" – 31st January 2012.

Dr. Carlos Pecharroman (CSIC Madrid) – "Plasmonics of Closely spaced Nanoparticles" – September, 2011.

Prof. Hong Wei, (Chinese Acad Sci, Beijing) "Plasmons Propagating on Silver Nanowires" – July 27, 2011.

Prof. Richard Hagelund, (Vanderbilt University, USA) – April 7th, 2011.

Prof Dirk Guldi (Erlangen University Germany) – "Carbon Nanostructures for Solar Energy"- 25th February, 2011.

Dr. Stuart Prescott, (Bristol University, UK) – 11th January, 2011.

Prof. Philippe Guyot-Sionnest (U Chicago, USA) – "Colloidal Quantum Dots Emitting in the NIR" Jan 10,2011.

Prof. Michael Natan, (Cabot Corp, USA) – 5th Jan 2011.

Graduate students interested in our research activities should consult the University of Melbourne website concerning entry requirements for the PhD program. Note that scholarships are extremely competitive.

http://www.futurestudents.unimelb.edu.au

Email: robertmj@student.unimelb.edu.au

Current Education:

2012 – present: Master of Science (Chemistry), University of Melbourne

Research Supervisor: Prof. Paul Mulvaney

Previous Higher Education:

2009 – 2011: Bachelor of Science (Chemistry Major), University of Melbourne

Research Areas:

- Composition and application of nanoparticle inks for photovoltaic devices.

- Synthesis and characterisation of Cd_1-xM_xTe nanoparticles and studying the use of such nanoparticles in photovoltaic devices.

Hobbies:

I spend a lot of time playing field hockey. Also interested in other sports in general, socialising with friends, travelling and staying active.

Dr. Marco Lista

(SFNS Research Fellow)

Contact details:

marco.lista@unimelb.edu.au

Phone +61 38345 8986

Current research:

Nanoparticle directional assembly

Education:

2006 Bachelor degree in Chemical technology, Pavia University, Italy.

2007 Masters degree in Organic chemistry under the supervision of Prof. Berg, Lund University, Sweden.

2011 Ph.D. under the supervision of Prof. Matile, Geneva University, Switzerland.

Thesis title: Self-Organizing Surface-Initiated Polymerization: Tunable Multichannel Photosystems

Publications: 

1) Lista, M.; Sakai, N.; Matile, Supramol. Chem. 2009, 21, 238 – 244.

2) Alonso, D. D.; Areephong, J.; Bang, E.-K.; Bertone, L.; Charbonnaz, P.; Fin, A.; Lin, N.-T.; Lista, M.; Matile, S.; Montenegro, J.; Orentas, E.; Sakai, N.; Tran, D.-H.; Vargas, J. A. Langmuir 2011, 27, 9696-9705.

3) Lista, M.; Areephong, J.; Sakai, N.; Matile, S. J. Am Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 15228-15231.

4) Sakai, N.; Lista, M.; Kel, O.; Sakurai, S.; Emery, D.; Mareda, J.; Vauthey, E,; Matile, S. J. Am Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 15224-15227.

5) Lista, M.; Areephong, J.; Charbonnaz, P.; Orentas, E.; Sakai, N.; Matile, S. Faraday Discuss. 2012, 155, 63-77.

6)Bang, E.-K.; Lista, M.; Sforazzini, G.; Sakai, N.; Matile, S. Chem. Sci. in press. DOI: 10.1039/c2sc20098h.

Contact Details:

isaac.ojea@unimelb.edu.au

Phone: +61 38344 2428

Fax: +61 39348 1595

Current Research:

Synthesis of nanostructured materials for applications in nanomedicine and environmental remediation. The working area includes: i) chemical synthesis of nanocrystals, ii) functionalization and chemistry on the surface of the NP, such as the attachment of biomolecules, iii) physico-chemical, morphological and structural characterization of the conjugates.

Education

Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, Sheffield University, UK, 2005

B.Sc. in Chemistry, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain, 2001

Previous Positions

Post-doctoral Position, Catalan Institute of Nanotechnology, Spain 2009-2012

Senior Researcher, Endor Nanotechnologies, Spain, 2007-2009

Post-doctoral Position, Roche Diagnostics, Germany, 2006-2007

Selected Publications:

1. Bellido, E., Ojea-Jiménez, I., Domingo, N., Ruiz-Molina, D., Structuration and Integration of Magnetic Nanoparticles on Surfaces and Devices, Small, 2012, ASAP; DOI: 10.1002/smll.201101456

1. Ojea-Jiménez, I., López, X., Arbiol, J., Puntes, V., Citrate gold nanoparticles as smart scavengers for Hg(II) removal from polluted waters, ACS Nano, 2012, 6 (3), 2253-2260; http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/nn204313a

1. H. Adams, S. Jones, A. J. H. M. Meijer, Z. Najah, I. Ojea-Jiménez and A. T. Reeder., Diels-Alder Reactions and Transformations of 2-Cyclopenten-1-one with a Chiral Anthracene Template, Tetrahedron: Asymmetry, 2011, 22 (16-17), 1620-1625; http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0957416611004976

1. Ojea-Jiménez, I.; Bastús, Neus; Puntes, Victor; Influence of the Sequence of the Reagents Addition in the Citrate-mediated Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles, J. Phys. Chem. C., 2011; 115 (22), 15752-15757; http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jp2017242

1. Lim, S.L., Varon, M., Ojea-Jiménez, I., Arbiol, J., Puntes, V., Pt nanocrystal Evolution in the Presence of Au(III)-Salts at Room Temperature: Formation of AuPt Heterodimers, J. Mat. Chem., 2011, 21, 11518-11523; http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2011/jm/c1jm10313j

1. Adams, H., Elsunaki, T. M., Ojea-Jiménez, I., Jones, S., Meijer, A. J. H. M.; Diastereoselective Cycloadditions and Transformations of N-Alkyl and N-Aryl Maleimides with Chiral 9-Anthrylethanol Derivatives; J. Org. Chem., 2010; 75 (18); 6252-6262; http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/jo101437b.

1. Lim, S. I., Varón, M., Ojea-Jiménez, I., Arbiol, J., Puntes, V.; Exploring the Limitations of the Use of Competing Reducers to Control the Morphology and Composition of Pt and PtCo Nanocrystals; Chem. Mater., 2010; 22 (15); 4495-4504; http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/cm101436p.

1. Lim, S. I., Ojea-Jiménez, I., Varón, M., Casals, E., Arbiol, J., Puntes, V.; Synthesis of Platinum Cubes, Polypods, Cuboctahedrons, and Raspberries Assisted by Cobalt Nanocrystals; Nano Letters; 2010; 10 (3); 964-973; http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/nl100032c.

1. Ojea-Jiménez, I., Romero, F. M., Bastús, N. G., Puntes, V.; Small Gold Nanoparticles Synthetized with Sodium Citrate and Heavy Water: Insights into Reaction Mechanism, J. Phys. Chem. C, 2010, 114 (4), 1800-1804; http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/jp9091305.

1. Ojea-Jiménez, I., Puntes, V.; Instability of Cationic Gold Nanoparticle Bioconjugates: The Role of Citrate Ions; J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2009, 131 (37), 13320-13327; http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/ja902894s.

Hobbies: Cycling, scuba diving, climbing

Contact Details:

E-mail: flisi@student.unimelb.edu.au

Phone: +61 8344 2392

Current education and research:

2012 – present: Ph.D. Chemistry, University of Melbourne

Ph.D. project: Bioconjugation of functional materials for sensing applications

Supervisors: Prof. Paul Mulvaney and Dr. Paolo Falcaro

Previous education and research:

2011: Master's degree in Material Science, University of Pisa

Thesis title: Nanoparticles for the co-localization of a deathly virus

2009: Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa

Thesis title: Nanocomposite polymeric coatings with improved tribological properties, high processability and non toxicity

Hobbies:

Cross country running, gym, music, history of art.

Dr. Klaus Boldt (AvH Research Fellow)

Contact Details:

klaus.boldt@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: +61 38344 2428
Fax: +61 39348 1595

Current research:

Optical spectroscopy of type-II semiconductor nanoparticles, charge carrier separation and relaxation dynamics, effects of plasmon resonance 

Previous research:

PhD thesis, Prof. Dr. Horst Weller, University of Hamburg

Projects: Spectroscopic characterisation of polymer coated, biocompatible semiconductor quantum dots, electron and energy transfer, synthesis of nanoheterostructures.

Diploma thesis, Prof. Dr. Horst Weller, University of Hamburg

Project: Single particle spectroscopy of semiconductor quantum dots.

Research project, Prof. Dr. Mats Tilset, University of Oslo

Project: Synthesis of N-heterocyclic iminocarbene palladium(II) complexes and characterisation of their catalytic properties for Suzuki coupling.

Higher education:

2012-Present: Postdoctoral research fellow (University of Melbourne)

2011: PhD in physical chemistry (University of Hamburg)

2007: Diploma in chemistry (University of Hamburg)

Publications:

Klaus Boldt, Oliver T. Bruns, Nikolai Gaponik, Alexander Eychmüller: Comparative Examination of the Stability of Semiconductor Quantum Dots in Various Biochemical Buffers, J. Phys. Chem. B 2006, 110, 1959-1963.

Kjetil Andreas Netland, Alexander Krivokapic, Markus Schröder, Klaus Boldt, Fredrik Lundvall, Mats Tilset: Synthesis, X-ray structures, and catalytic applications of palladium(II) complexes bearing N-heterocyclic iminocarbene ligands, J. Organomet. Chem. 2008, 693 (25), 3703-3710.

Klaus Boldt: Simulating Spin Dynamics in NMR With a New Software Intended for Education: INSENSITIVE, Conc. Magn. Reson. Part A 2011, 38A (2), 17-24.

Marc Thiry, Klaus Boldt, Marija S. Nikolic, Florian Schulz, Michael Ijeh, Andjana Panicker, Tobias Vossmeyer, Horst Weller: Fluorescence Properties of Hydrophilic Semiconductor Nanoparticles with Tridentate Polyethylene Oxide Ligands, ACS Nano, 2011, 5 (6), 4965- 4973.

Klaus Boldt, Sebastian Jander, Kathrin Hoppe, Horst Weller, Characterization of the Organic Ligand Shell of Semiconductor Quantum Dots by Fluorescence Quenching Experiments, ACS Nano 2011, 5 (10), 8115–8123.

Hobbies: Photography, reading, programming, listening to music.

Anthony J. Morfa,,†,‡ Brant C. Gibson,‡ Matthias Karg,† Timothy J. Karle,‡ Andrew D. Greentree,‡ Paul Mulvaney,† and Snjezana Tomljenovic-Hanic‡

†Bio21 Institute and School of Chemistry and ‡School of Physics, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia

ABSTRACT:

Room temperature single-photon emission and quantum characterization is reported for isolated defects in zinc oxide. The defects are observed in thin films of both in-house synthesized and commercial zinc oxide nanoparticles. Emission spectra in the red and infrared, second-order photon correlation functions, lifetime measurements, and photon count rates are presented. Both two- and three-state emitters are identified. Sub-band gap absorption and red emission suggest these defects are the zinc vacancy. These results identify a new source of single photons in a readily available wide band gap semiconductor material which has  exceptional electrical, optical, and biocompatibility properties.

KEYWORDS: Zinc oxide, single-photon source, defect emission, quantum characterization, zinc vacancy, nanoparticle

Gary A. Beane,† Anthony J. Morfa,† Alison M. Funston,‡ and Paul Mulvaney*,†

†School of Chemistry & Bio21 Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia

‡School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia

ABSTRACT:

Energy transfer from the defect state of zinc oxide nanoparticles to the fluorescent dye AlexaFluor 594 (A594) cadaverine has been studied using both steady-state and timeresolved photoluminescence (PL) measurements. The addition of five stoichiometric equivalents of A594 cadaverine completely quenches the visible defect emission from zinc oxide nano crystals. We also find that the entire defect emission of ZnO is reduced without any change in the overall line shape of the emission, demonstrating that the defect emission is from a single electronic state coupled to the phonon modes of the crystal lattice. The energy transfer is modeled using the dynamic quenching model developed by Tachiya (Sadhu, S.; Tachiya, M. J. Phys. Chem.  2009, 113, 1948819492). Remarkably, there is very efficient energy transfer when there is just one adsorbed dye molecule per nanocrystal, regardless of the orientation of the dipole moment of the cadaverine molecule and the distance to the defect state.

Matthias Karg ,* Thomas Hellweg , and Paul Mulvaney

Abstract:

Understanding and controlling 3D nanocrystal self-assembly is a fundamental challenge in materials science. Assembly enables the unique optical and electronic properties of nanocrystals to be exploited in macroscopic materials, and also opens up the possibility to couple the optical response of nanocrystals to the optical modes of the superlattice. To date, assembly of such nanocrystal superlattices (NCSL) has focussed on fi xed, close packed structures with particle separations of just 1–3 nm. To achieve highly crystalline structures with tunable optical response, the nanocrystal interparticle separation needs to be precise and easily variable but >  50 nm. Here, we show the preparation of nanocrystal superlattices with spacings of 50–500 nm assembled from gold-poly- N   isopropylacrylamide core-shell particles and the characterization of their fascinating diffraction behavior by means of UV-vis spectroscopy. These nanocrystal superlattices exhibit pronounced diffraction in the visible (440-560 nm) with peak half-widths of the order of 10 nm. The position of the Bragg peak is simply tuned by adjusting the particle volume fraction. Due to the thermoresponsive nature of the polymer shell, temperature is used to initiate crystallization or melting of the superlattice. Heating and cooling cycles cause highly reversible melting/recrystallization in less than a minute.