BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//ZContent.net//ZapCalLib 1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Zooming In: Single-Particle Insights into Nanomaterials for Energy Conversion and Storage LOCATION:Chemistry A101 TZID:America/Denver DTSTART:20261001T160000 UID:2026-10-25-07-58-24@natsci.colostate.edu DTSTAMP:20261025T075824 Description:Seminar Abstract:\n\nMy research group develops optical and ele ctrochemical approaches to uncover how local structure\, composition\, and electronic properties govern charge transport and reactivity in energy co nversion and storage materials. In the first part of this talk\, I will hi ghlight our spatially resolved studies of solar energy conversion material s\, including photoelectrochemical imaging of transition metal oxide photo catalysts and optical measurements of individual quantum dots. These studi es illustrate how nanoscale heterogeneity can produce substantial variatio ns in photochemical and electrochemical behavior and motivate the need to connect local materials properties with macroscopic function.\n\nI will th en turn to two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors\, where atomically thin dim ensions give rise not only to spatial heterogeneity but also to electronic properties that can change dramatically under operating conditions. I wil l discuss our imaging studies of charge separation and reactivity in 2D ma terials and our recent efforts to understand how giant band-gap renormaliz ation in monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides contributes to their u nique electrochemical behavior compared to bulk materials. Using in situ s pectroelectrochemistry\, electrochemistry\, spatially resolved measurement s\, and many-body theory\, we find that changes in carrier concentration c an substantially renormalize the electronic band gap and alter energy-leve l alignment and interfacial electron-transfer rates. These results challen ge conventional pictures of semiconductor interfaces in which the band str ucture is treated as fixed and suggest new opportunities to control reacti vity\, charge transport\, and energy conversion through the unusual many-b ody physics of two-dimensional materials.\n\n \;\n\nSpeaker Bio:\n\nJu stin Sambur is the Monfort Associate Professor of Chemistry at Colorado St ate University. Justin earned his B.S. degree in 2006 from the State Unive rsity of New York (SUNY)-Binghamton. His undergraduate honors thesis work under the direction of Dr. David Doetschmann focused on the degradation me chanisms of chemical warfare agents within zeolite pores. Justin traveled west to graduate school and earned his PhD under the direction of Dr. Bruc e A. Parkinson at Colorado State University (CSU). Justin studied the phot oelectrochemical energy conversion properties of semiconductor nanocrystal s and light absorbing polymers on single crystal electrode surfaces. In 20 11\, Justin traveled back to NY to join Prof. Peng Chen’s lab at Cornell University. Justin’s NSF ACC-F Postdoctoral Fellow work integrated sing le molecule imaging methods in the area of photoelectrochemistry. Justin r eturned to CSU in 2016 as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry and the Scho ol of Advanced Materials Discovery (SAMD). His research has been recognize d with the Royce Murray Young Investigator Award\, Air Force Young Investi gator Award\, NSF CAREER Award\, and DOE Early Career Award. Justin was al so named a Sloan Research Fellow and a Scialog Fellow in Advanced Energy S torage.\n\nLink to Dr. Sambur\\'s Group Website 4:00 pm END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR