Mines Professor Receives $1 Million Grant to Pioneer Nanoscience Research

With a $1 million grant from the Department of Energy (DOE), South Dakota Mines researchers are poised to drive transformative advancements in nanoscience. This DOE award, part of the Building EPSCoR-State/DOE-National Laboratory Partnerships, will fund cutting-edge research into gold nanoparticles' unique, exotic optical properties.

The project will focus on synthesizing and arranging gold nanoparticles with broken shapes to explore unprecedented ways of manipulating light - a development that could open new possibilities in fields such as sensing, microscopy and advanced materials engineering.

A key reason for studying these nanoparticles is to use them in miniatured optical devices that can offer unprecedented imaging resolution. This involves arranging the nanoparticles in precise, patterned layers to leverage a unique property known as negative refraction, which bends light in unconventional ways.

“These particles, especially when we arrange them, have a unique interaction with light,” says Shan Zhou, Ph.D., assistant professor at the Department of Nanoscience and Biomedical Engineering, who serves as the principal investigator for the grant. “We’re exploring how different patterns of assembly can change the way light moves through them, bending it in ways that traditional materials simply can’t achieve.”

The Mines team is working closely with experts at the Ames National Laboratory through this grant to build a sustainable and robust collaboration. “We are collaborating closely with experts in complementary fields like simulation and theory at Ames to bring this innovative material to life here at Mines,” said Zhou. “Together, we aim to push the boundaries of nanoscience research in ways that could transform our understanding of optics.”

This research initiative not only promises to advance the fields of nanotechnology and photonics but also stands as an opportunity for Mines student researchers to gain hands-on experience at the cutting edge of nanoscience.

"This is the kind of project you dream about as a student," said Junming Yue, a nanoscience Ph.D. student who actively works on making these nanoparticles.

Zinnia Mallick, a postdoctoral researcher, who also works on the project, added, "The chance to work on negative refraction is incredibly exciting, and the skills we will gain here are going to prepare us for some of the most advanced fields in nanoscience.”

The team hopes to offer research opportunities to our undergraduate students across departments such as biomedical engineering, chemistry, physics and other engineering fields at Mines, said Zhou.

“Any student interested in exploring this field is welcome to contact us directly,” he said. "Through this project, we’re building a foundation for the future of nanoscience, and our students are a vital part of that journey."