Faculty
David F. Watson
Assistant Professor
Office: 531 Natural Sciences Complex
Phone: (716) 645-4189
E-mail: dwatson3@buffalo.edu
Lab website: http://wings.buffalo.edu/research/watson/
Information on the Watson Research Group
Education:
- B. S., Haverford College (1996)
- M. S., Northwestern University (1997)
- Ph.D., Princeton University (2001)
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Johns Hopkins University (2001-2004)
Awards:
- James D. Watson Investigator Award (2005)
- NSF CAREER Award (2007)
Specializations:
Materials synthesis, surface chemistry, photochemistry, spectroscopy
Research Summary:
Research in our laboratory involves the synthesis, characterization, and self-assembly of inorganic nanomaterials, and fundamental studies of photoinduced electron transfer processes at interfaces.
Self-assembly
We are developing new approaches to self-assembly, in which inorganic nanoparticles are organized into composite materials through the interactions between surface-adsorbed molecules. Current research projects focus on four aspects of self-assembly and surface-functionalization chemistry: (1) fabrication and characterization of dynamic mixed-monolayers on metal oxide surfaces; (2) adsorption of metallic and semiconducting nanoparticles onto metal oxide films, yielding materials with tunable color and optical density; (3) photochemically-controlled self-assembly through the site-selective deposition of nanoparticles onto surfaces; and (4) spectroscopic characterization of the photoinduced electron transfer reactivity of self-assembled inorganic nanomaterials.
Students working in our research group develop skills in synthetic materials chemistry, materials characterization techniques, surface chemistry, time-resolved spectroscopy, photochemistry, and electrochemistry.
Selected Recent Publications:
- Dibbell, R.S.; Watson, D.F. “Distance-Dependent Electron Transfer in Tethered Assemblies of CdS Quantum Dots and TiO2 Nanoparticles.” J. Phys. Chem. C, 2009, 113, 3139-3149.
- Mann, J.R.; Gannon, M.K.; Fitzgibbons, T.C.; Detty, M.R.; Watson, D.F. “Optimizing the Photocurrent Efficiency of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells through the Controlled Aggregation of Chalcogenoxanthylium Dyes on Nanocrystalline Titania Films.” J. Phys. Chem. C, 2008, 112, 13057-13061.
- Soja, G.R.; Mann, J.R.; Watson, D.F. “Temporal Evolution of the Composition of Mixed Monolayers on Nanocrystalline TiO2 Films.” Langmuir, 2008, 24, 5249-5252.
- Mann, J.R.; Watson, D.F. “Adsorption of CdSe Nanoparticles to Thiolated TiO2 Surfaces: Influence of Intralayer Disulfide Formation on CdSe Surface Coverage.” Langmuir, 2007, 23, 10924-10928.
- Dibbell, R.S.; Soja, G.R.; Hoth, R.M.; Watson, D.F. “Photocatalytic Patterning of Monolayers for the Site-Selective Deposition of Quantum Dots onto TiO2 Surfaces.” Langmuir, 2007, 23, 3432-3439.
