Prashant Jain

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• Jain Labs

Research Statement

Light-matter interactions are central in nature, life, and in technology. There are three aspects of the quantum light-matter interface that we study using spectroscopy, microscopy, and theory:
i) We employ the rich interplay between visible light and metal catalysts for selective formation of chemical bonds, catalyzing multielectron chemistry, and manufacturing fuels and energetic chemicals.
ii) We image with unprecedented resolution chemical reactions on surfaces or in nanoparticles and uncover their mechanistic pathways.
iii) We design materials and coax them into exhibiting non-natural optical or optoelectronic phenomena.
In summary, we are learning how to control and harness light as a source of energy and as a means to control the attributes and function of advanced materials.

We are a diverse team with interest and expertise in catalysis, spectroscopy, materials science, and condensed matter physics. The tools we use include single-molecule spectroscopy, nanochemistry, high-resolution electron microscopy, plasmonics, and theory. The systems we investigate range from artificial photosynthetic systems to nanophotonic switches. Our research has had direct impact on the follow areas:
Photosynthesis and Energy Conversion: Driving multielectron fuel-forming reactions by plasmonic light excitation.
Catalysis: Discovering active sites and reaction pathways of catalysts by super-resolution imaging.
Nanoscience: Discovery of unconventional excitations, phases, and transport in nanocrystals.

Prospective postdoctoral researchers, graduate students who have been admitted to a program at UIUC, undergraduate students at UIUC, and collaborators interested in the above research projects are welcome to contact us.

Selected Articles in Journals

• S. Yu, A. J. Wilson, G. Kumari, X. Zhang, and P. K. Jain. Opportunities and challenges of solar-energy-driven carbon dioxide to fuel conversion with plasmonic catalysts," ACS Energy Letters, 2, 2058-2070 (2017).
• D. Dumett Torres, P. Banerjee, S. Pamidighantam, and P. K. Jain. A non-natural wurtzite polymorph of HgSe: A potential 3D topological insulator. Chemistry of Materials, 29, 6356-6366 (2017).
• Y. Kim, A. J. Wilson, and P. K. Jain, "The nature of plasmonically assisted hot-electron transfer in a donor-bridge-acceptor complex," ACS Catalysis, 7, 4360-4365 (2017).
• S. L. White, P. Banerjee, and P. K. Jain, "Liquid-like cationic sub-lattice in copper selenide clusters" Nature Communications, 8, 14514 (2017).
• J. G. Smith and P. K. Jain, "The ligand shell as an energy barrier in surface reactions on transition metal nanoparticles," Journal of the American Chemical Society, 138, 6765-6773 (2016).
• Y. Kim, D. Dumett, and P. K. Jain, "Activation energies in plasmonic catalysis," Nano Letters, 16, 3399-3407 (2016).
• A. L. Routzahn and P. K. Jain, "Luminescence blinking of a reacting quantum dot," Nano Letters, 15, 2504-2509 (2015).
• P. K. Jain, "Plasmon-in-a-box: On the physical nature of few-carrier collective resonances," Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 5, 3112-3119 (2014).
• A. L. Routzahn and P. K. Jain, "Single-nanocrystal reaction trajectories reveal sharp co-operative transitions," Nano Letters, 14, 987-992 (2014).
• S. L. White, J. G. Smith, M. Behl, and P. K. Jain, "Co-operativity in a solid-state nanocrystalline transition," Nature Communications, 4, 2933 (2013).
• J. A. Faucheaux and P. K. Jain, "Plasmons in photocharged ZnO revealing nature of charge dynamics," Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 4, 3024-3030 (2013).
• M. Behl, J. Yeom, Q. Lineberry, P. K. Jain, and M. A. Shannon, "A regenerable oxide-based hydrogen sulphide adsorbent with nanofibrous morphology," Nature Nanotechnology, 7, 810-815 (2012).
• J. B. Rivest, L.-K. Fong, P. K. Jain, M. F. Toney and A. P. Alivisatos, "Size dependence of a temperature-induced solid-solid phase transition in copper (I) sulfide," Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 2, 2402 (2011).
• C. L. Choi, H. Li, A. C.K. Olson, P. K. Jain, S. Sivasankar and A. P. Alivisatos, "Spatially-indirect emission in a luminescent nanocrystal molecule," Nano Letters, 11, 2358 (2011).
• J. M. Luther*, P. K. Jain*, T. Ewers, and A. P. Alivisatos, "Localized surface plasmon resonances arising from free carriers in doped quantum dots," Nature Materials,10, 361 (2011) *equal contribution
• P. K. Jain*, L. Amirav*, S. Aloni, and A. P. Alivisatos, "Nanoheterostructure cation exchange: Anionic framework preservation," Journal of the American Chemical Society, 132, 9997 (2010)
• P. K. Jain and M. A. El-Sayed, "Plasmonic coupling in noble metal nanostructures," Chemical Physics Letters, 487, 153 (2010)
• S Sheikholeslami*, Y.-W. Jun*, P. K. Jain*, and A. P. Alivisatos, "Coupling of optical resonances in a compositionally asymmetric plasmonic nanoparticle dimer," Nano Letters, 10, 2655 (2010)
• P. K. Jain, Y. Xiao, R. Walsworth, and A. E. Cohen, "Surface plasmon resonance-enhanced magneto-optics (SuPREMO): Enhanced inter-band Faraday rotation in gold-coated iron oxide nanocrystals," Nano Letters, 9, 1644 (2009)
• P. K. Jain and M. A. El-Sayed, "Noble metal manoparticle pairs: Effect of medium for enhanced nanosensing," Nano Letters, 8, 4347 (2008)
• P. K. Jain, X. Huang, I. H. El-Sayed, and M. A. El-Sayed, "Noble metals at the nanoscale: Optical and photothermal properties and applications in imaging, sensing, biology, and medicine," Accounts of Chemical Research, 41, 1578 (2008)
• P. K. Jain and M. A. El-Sayed, "Surface plasmon resonance sensitivity of metal nanostructures: Physical basis and universal scaling in metal nanoshells," Journal of Physical Chemistry C (Letter), 111, 17451 (2007)
• P. K. Jain and M. A. El-Sayed "Universal scaling of plasmon coupling in metal nanostructures: Extension from particle pairs to nanoshells," Nano Letters, 7, 2854 (2007)
• P. K. Jain, W. Huang, and M. A. El-Sayed "On the universal scaling behavior of the distance decay of plasmon coupling in metal nanoparticle pairs: A plasmon ruler equation," Nano Letters, 7, 2080 (2007)
• P. K. Jain, S. Eustis, and M. A. El-Sayed "Plasmon coupling in gold nanorod assemblies: Optical absorption, Discrete Dipole Approximation simulation and exciton coupling model," Journal of Physical Chemistry B 110, 18243 (2006)
• P. K. Jain, W. Qian, and M. A. El-Sayed "Ultrafast cooling of photoexcited electrons in gold nanoparticle-thiolated DNA conjugates involves the dissociation of the gold-thiol bond," Journal of the American Chemical Society, 128, 2426 (2006)