Peng Zhang

Assistant Professor

BSc, MSc (Jilin U. China), PhD (Western)

E-mail: peng.zhang@dal.ca
Phone: (902) 494-3323
Fax: (902) 494-1310

* Accepting Graduate Students 
 
Research Interests: Materials chemistry and nanotechnology, Wet-chemical synthesis of nanomaterials, X-ray Spectroscopy, Catalysis, Biotechnology
 
The research of our group falls into the rapidly growing field of nanoscience and nanotechnology and centers around the studies of metal nanoparticles (NPs), the fundamental building blocks of nanotechnology. The impact of nanotechnology was probably best described by R. Smalley, 1999 Chemistry Nobel Laureate :  “… Just wait --- the next century is going to be incredible. We are about to be able to build things that work on the smallest possible length scales, atom by atom. These little nanothings will revolutionize our industries and our lives…”.

Our research is intended to improve the ability of precise control of the structure and electronic properties of metal NPs at atomic level, a primary challenge currently facing nanotechnology, by developing efficient synthetic methodology for NPs and by providing insights into their structure-property relationship with powerful X-ray spectroscopy techniques. These fundamental studies will lead to innovative applications in catalysis and biotechnology, which are also largely explored in our laboratory.

Group members will normally conduct research in multi-disciplinary areas such as materials chemistry, solid state physics, molecular biology and biomedical engineering. Their trainings in fundamental science as well as technologies (e.g. alternative energy and biomedical engineering) will make them well-suited for careers in both academia and industry.

Visit Our Lab: Zhang Research Group