SUPRANANO

Vision, Mission and Challenges

Our vision: Development of advance fundamental sciences related to 3D nanocrystal superlattices for energy to accompany the future needs of our societies.

Mission: To point out the nanotechnology solutions for energy.  More specially, to discover new physical and chemical properties of 3D nanocrystal superlattices called supracrystals /colloidal crystals/ supercrystals.

Challenges : Our research activity focuses mainly on the influence of order either of atoms or nanocrystals at different scales. We are investigating order-related intrinsic physical and chemical properties of atoms within a nanocrystal (named nanocrystalinity) and of nanocrystals within a supracrystal (or supracrystalinity).  The knowledge of such properties will permit to serve our mission.
To reach such goals our major activity is to develop new syntheses to control nanocrystal size, nanocrystallinity, their assemblies in 3D superlattices and design new systems for potential applications.

Nowdays, we focus our research to design functional self-assemblies for energy and biomedical applications. For this purpose, we ask to ourselves the following questions: What are the various thermodynamic stable nanocrystal self-assemblies? What are the specific properties of 3D nanocrystal superlattices related to energy released? Are they any analogies between atomic crystals are supracrystals? Does nanocrystallinity play a role in the chemical, physical properties of nanocrystals? Are the intrinsic properties of supracrystals related to the nanocrystallinity and/or to the nanocrystal ordering? Can we detect supracrystal collective properties related or not to nanocrystallinity? Is it possible to self-assemble nanocrystals in aqueous solution and what are their specific properties? Is it possible to self-assemble nanocrystals in cancer cells and what is the impact on their integrities? Does the nanocrystal properties remain when they are self-assembled in 3D superlattices?