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 MIT continues to lead the advancement of modern physical chemistry and its extension to overlap with other disciplines. Research in the department encompasses the entire breadth of physical chemistry, covering studies on isolated molecules, condensed phases, and biochemical systems; technological research on topics ranging from photonic switching and quantum dot devices to chemosensors; and the development of advanced spectroscopic methods from the NMR to the X-ray regimes.
Experimental and theoretical work in the department features rapidly developing fields such as nanomaterials and devices, biophysical chemistry, atmospheric and environmental chemistry, single molecule and single quantum dot spectroscopy, and condensed phase molecular dynamics. Prominent research topics include chemical reaction dynamics in the gas phase, in solution, in the solid-state, and at interfaces; study of the physical properties and material applications of soft condensed phases, such as liquids, glasses, polymers, and liquid crystals; the solid state chemistry of semiconductor nanoparticles, ferroelectrics, and metal surfaces; and research into novel energy sources and storage. The highly interdisciplinary nature of the research has led to extensive collaborations among chemists in the department, and with groups in physics, biology, materials science, and electrical engineering. In MIT's highly interactive environment, many physical chemistry students become closely acquainted with researchers and methods used in other disciplines.
Advances in understanding chemical problems have always gone hand-in-hand with advances in technologies to study them. A continuing strength of the Department and MIT's Harrison Spectroscopy Lab is the development and use of new spectroscopic techniques. 2D IR spectroscopy, single-molecule spectroscopy, nonlinear terahertz spectroscopy, and femtosecond x-ray scattering are among the new techniques being developed and used in condensed phase research. The nuclear and electronic dynamics of isolated molecules, molecular liquids, and crystalline solids are being revealed with multi-laser high-resolution spectroscopies and femtosecond pump-probe methods. At MIT's Francis Bitter Magnet Lab, research targets new approaches to biophysical problems using advanced solid-state NMR and EPR spectroscopy.
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Physical
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Materials
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