NSF center for single-entity nanochemistry and nanocrystal design

The National Science Foundation's Division of Chemistry awarded a $3.8 million Cooperative Agreement to Indiana University, effective September 1, 2025 through August 31, 2030, to establish the Center for Single-Entity Nanochemistry and Nanocrystal Design (CSENND). Funded under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049), CSENND develops high-throughput and high-resolution technologies to synthesize, characterize, and analyze individual nanocrystals and nanocrystal ensembles. The center creates novel synthetic, computational, spectroscopy, and microscopy tools to identify and explain structure-property relationships in nanocrystals, enabling the rational design and synthesis of nanocrystals with desired functional properties. Initial demonstrations include designing nanocrystal catalysts for urea synthesis and electrochemical CO₂ reduction reactions. CSENND integrates research with workforce development through data-guided discovery emphasizing collaboration and innovation, and partners with the Primarily Undergraduate Nanomaterials Collaborative (PUNC) to develop curricular materials and disseminate scientific content in informal educational environments.

The center coordinates collaborative research across a network of leading research institutions serving as sub-awardees, including Texas A&M University (electrosynthesis and high-throughput property measurements), Temple University (optical microscopy for single nanocrystal analysis), University of Texas at Austin (atomic-scale computational modeling and data management), University of Pennsylvania (scanning/transmission electron microscopy characterization), University of Washington (theoretical modeling of optical and electron microscopy signals), Purdue University (high-throughput electrodeposition and catalytic screening), and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (automated synthesis and purification platforms). This multi-institutional approach leverages complementary expertise in synthesis, characterization, computation, and data science to accelerate nanocrystal discovery and enable structure-guided design of functional nanomaterials for catalytic, photothermal, and other applications.

Abstract

The NSF center for single-entity nanochemistry and nanocrystal design (csennd) leverages the inherent heterogeneity of nanocrystals for accelerated discovery and design of functional nanocrystals. Nanocrystals are drivers of new science and innovation on account of their structure-dependent properties. Yet most syntheses of nanocrystals produce ensembles of nanocrystals with different sizes, shapes, and surfaces. Csennd creates high-throughput technologies to synthesize and study the structure and properties of single nanocrystals or ensembles of nanocrystals. Csennd also develops high-resolution and computational methodologies that will identify and explain structure-property relationships for nanocrystals. Together, this powerful suite of new tools enables the design and synthesis of nanocrystals with desired functions. Csennd offers an integrated training environment in data-guided discovery emphasizing collaboration, innovation and communication. Csennd is partnering with the primarily undergraduate nanomaterials collaborative (punc) to support both research and the development of curricular materials to disseminate scientific content in informal environments. Single-nanocrystal approaches are essential to address the grand challenges presented by nanocrystal heterogeneity; however, this heterogeneity presents a screening challenge on account of the large and multidimensional experimental space. Csennd develops high-throughput and high-resolution tools that accelerate and enhance single-nanocrystal analyses. These synthetic, computational, spectroscopy and microscopy tools enable csennd to understand nanocrystal features that are related to fundamental properties of interest, leading to testable hypotheses that will drive conceptual breakthroughs for nanocrystal design. Initial demonstrations of the csennd design process include the design of nanocrystal catalysts for urea synthesis and the design of photothermal nanocrystals for efficient light-to-heat conversion. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are planned for this award.