The Thin Films and Nanostructures Laboratory at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute uses ultra-high vacuum deposition equipment to take atoms and put them on surfaces to create new materials and nanostructures. We then measure their structure as well as their mechanical, electrical and optical properties.
For example, we study metal nanowires for future integrated circuits, explore atomic bonding in nitrides to design new hard and tough coatings, create new nitride semiconductors for thermoelectric waste heat recovery, or study atomic transport through nanopores to design self-lubricating coatings for bearings in fuel-efficient jet-engines and wind-turbines.
We invite you to visit our website, contact us by email, and come visit us in person. We are interested in collaborative research efforts and always look for motivated students to join our team! Prof. Gall's office is in the Materials Research Center (MRC 204) and we have various award-winning posters that show more of our research in the hallway near MRC 130.
