Daniel Grassechi
Chemistry
Daniel Grassechi is a surface chemist who studies ways to manipulate atomic bonds to create nanomaterials. Nanomaterials are materials with structures measured in nanometers, or billionths of a meter. They have unique properties that make them useful for various applications, including renewable energy, electronics, and medicine.
Grassechi’s research is at the forefront of nanomaterials research, and his work has the potential to lead to new and innovative applications. For example, he is developing new methods for assembling nanomaterials one atom at a time. This could allow scientists to create nanomaterials with precise structures and properties that are impossible with current methods.
Grassechi graduated from the University of São Paulo with a degree in chemistry and a doctorate in nanotechnology. He has held two postdoctoral positions, one at the Center for Advanced Research in Graphene, Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology (Mackgrafe) at Mackenzie Presbyterian University and the other at the Center of 2-Dimensional and Layered Materials at Pennsylvania State University. In 2018, he became an adjunct professor at the Chemistry Institute of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, where he also coordinates the Supernano Lab.
Outside of the lab, Grassechi enjoys cycling and running on the beach to relax.
Projects
Two-dimensional nanomaterials, such as graphene, are revolutionizing science with their unique properties. Surface chemistry plays a central role in these properties, and it can be exploited to control the binding of individual atoms on the surface of nanomaterials.
In this project, we will control the type and speed of reactions on the surface of nanomaterials to direct the binding of individual atoms in specific places and move them around like pieces on a chessboard. This is an innovative, straightforward, and exceptionally effective route to altering the electronic, magnetic, thermal, and optical properties of nanomaterials.
Understanding this approach will pave the way for large-scale manipulation of individual atoms and provide a promising route to designing new nanomaterials for high-performance devices.
