Research Interests:

Research in the Martin group is conducted at the interface between analytical chemistry and materials science. This entails developing new approaches to do chemical analyses and separations and developing the new materials that will make these separations and analyses possible. We are particularly interested in the application of nanomaterials to bioanalytical chemistry. In general, the nanomaterials research area entails preparation of nanoscopic particles of a desired material, characterization of the fundamental properties of the nanomaterials obtained, and development of practical applications of nanomaterial-based systems. Our group has pioneered a powerful new method to prepare nanomaterials called the " template method." This method entails using the nanoscopic pores in a host membrane as templates to prepare monodisperse nanoscopic particles of a desired material.

We are also interested in electrochemical energy production, and nanomaterials play a major role in our research efforts here also. We are investigating new nanostructured electrodes for Li-ion batteries - the type of battery that powers modern laptop computers and cellular phones. We have shown that because of the very high surface area of nanomaterials, the nanostructured electrode can support much higher discharge currents without loss of battery capacity. Finally, we are also conducting research on carbon nanotube membranes, corrosion, and basic electrochemistry.