UH Researcher Pursues New Applications for “Hot” Electrons

UH Researcher Pursues New Applications for “Hot” Electrons
NSF Grant Funds Effort to Find New Uses for Porous Gold Nanoparticles

Three years after his discovery of porous gold nanoparticles – gold nanoparticles that offer a larger surface area because of their porous nature – a University of Houston researcher is continuing to explore the science and potential applications.

Wei-Chuan Shih, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, will use funding from the National Science Foundation to study electron oscillation in the nanoparticles and develop ideas for harnessing it.

“We can generate hot electrons by shining light on these nanoparticles, so we are trying to take advantage of that, trying to find a way to make them work,” Shih said.