Crafting Multidimensional Nanocomposites: Functional Materials for Application in Energy Conversion, Energy Storage, and Optoelectronics

Depending on the scale, not all nanocomposites are created equal. Whereas physical mixing is the gold standard for effectively realizing many useful bulk nanocomposites, it has been shown to be much less so when applied to the nanoscale where controlling the interaction between light, electrons and atoms are of prime concern. To that end, our group works to rationally design nanomaterials that incorporate essential connectivity and surface modification to facilitate the movement and interaction between these fundamental species. Spanning the range from fundamental research to device fabrication and performance measurement, this review details some of the work in crafting nanocomposites for applications in photovoltaics, energy storage, photocatalysis, ferroelectricity and optics through the use of novel templating strategies, polymers and chemistries.