Chemical Society Seminar: Mita Dasog - Metal Nitride Plasmonic Nanostructures and their Applications

Abstract:

In the past two decades, there have been many advances in the development of plasmonic nanoparticles for various applications such as chemical sensing, photothermal therapy, enhancement of photovoltaic device performance, catalysis, and optical communications. The most commonly used metals in plasmonic applications are gold, silver, and copper; however, these can be expensive, oxidatively and thermally unstable, and suffer optical losses due to unwanted electronic transitions and light scattering. Transition metal nitrides have been proposed as promising alternatives to metal-based plasmonic nanomaterials based upon their low cost and oxidative and thermal stabilities. This presentation will highlight the recent progress in our research group on the synthesis of free-standing plasmonic transition metal nitride nanocrystals. The photothermal efficiencies of these nanocrystals in the near-IR region and their use in solar-driven water evaporation and desalination will also be discussed.

Bio:

Dr. Mita Dasog obtained her BSc in 2009 from the University of Saskatchewan. She then moved to the University of Alberta to begin her PhD studies with Dr. Jonathan Veinot where she focused on the syntheses, properties, and applications of silicon quantum dots. After a short stay at Technical University of Munich as a Green Talents visiting scholar, Dr. Dasog went on to hold an NSERC post-doctoral position with Dr. Nathan Lewis at the California Institute of Technology, where she is studied light-material interactions. She joined the Dalhousie University Chemistry Department in July 2016 as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Dasog was recognized as one of the top 150 Canadian women in STEM in 2017 by hEr VOLUTION, a Toronto based non-profit organization. In 2019, she received the Canadian Journal of Chemistry Best Paper Award, Dalhousie President’s Emerging Researcher Award, and was selected to represent the element Si by IUPAC in celebration of the International Year of the Periodic Table.