Periodic nanoporous materials are a group of materials with periodically arranged nanosized pores. These materials are typically synthesized through a self-assembly approach with micelles acting as a structure-directing agent. A prototype of such materials is periodic mesoporous silica (PMS). In this talk, I will first discuss the atomic and nanoscale structures of PMS as characterized by small and wide angle X-ray scattering. Existence of significant residual stress in the amorphous silica skeleton has been revealed for the first time. Then I will illustrate application of X-ray scattering to the study of capillary condensation in PMS. Finally, I will give an example of functional PMS for high density computer memory application.


Dr. Chen received his B.S in Physics from USTC in 1999 and Ph. D in Materials Science and Engineering from Lehigh University in 2004. He then conducted postdoctoral training at the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, working on synchrotron-related X-ray techniques. In 2007, Dr. Chen joined the Department of Physics and Astronomy of Ohio University and became a tenure-track Assistant Professor. His currently research interest is in novel X-ray techniques and disordered materials. Dr. Chen’s research projects have been sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy.