This week we will be spotlighting the work of Trang Nguyen, a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in Chemistry and Biochemistry. He completed his bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and master’s degree in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Science – Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Tell us more about your work and research.
Nguyen: “One of my research lines I’m working on is electrochemistry of nanomaterials. The electrochemical phase transformation such as electrodeposition of metals on conductive substrate surfaces plays an important role in revealing diverse optical properties and functionalities of nanomaterials for both fundamentally scientific understanding and technological applications. By varying the deposition parameters or the components of the electrolyte solution, 2-D patterns of catalyst particles or 3-D nanostructures can be obtained. Generally, particle nucleation and growth are accepted as two crucial steps in an electrochemical deposition: nucleation and growth. During these steps, particle density is governed by the number of nuclei, and particle shape can be tuned by applying several electrochemical techniques.
There are many outstanding studies on shape-controlling methods of metal nanostructures using different electrochemical approaches, but there is a lack of studies on how to control the particle density resulting in the limitation of more complex technological applications such as single plasmonic nanoparticle resonance for optoelectronics and electrocatalysis. This work is inspired by my advisor Professor Patrick Cappillino and Professor Wei-shun Chang.”
What is the most challenging aspect of your work?
Nguyen: “The two most challenging aspects of my research are the shortage of funding resources and the lack of state-of-art instruments. What I want people to know about my research is that it contributes to establishing and understanding a fundamental aspect of the formation of nanomaterials using electrochemistry.”
What long-term goals do you have for your work?
Nguyen: “I’m aiming to have as many publications as possible during my program. I’m also planning to get another graduate degree in medical/biological sciences.”
Nguyen enjoys hiking and reading about Science and Literature. He reads both fiction and non-fiction books. Another favorite hobby of his is Origami, also known as the art of Japanese paper folding to imitate natural objects. Nguyen plans to graduate with his Ph.D. in 2023.
You can connect with Trang on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/trang.nguy