Frontiers in Nanotechnology Seminar Series Presents, Brandi Cossairt, from University of Washington

“Precision Synthesis and Deterministic Placement of Quantum Dots for Quantum Light Technologies”

Realizing scalable quantum light technologies requires both atomically precise nanocrystal synthesis and deterministic single-particle positioning. This talk explores strategies to achieve these goals by leveraging the extremes of nanocrystal size. First, she will examine kinetically persistent cluster molecules—intermediates in colloidal nanocrystal nucleation—as high-fidelity models for understanding crystal growth mechanisms, structure, and reactivity. By investigating their interconversion and controlled transformation into larger nanocrystals, insights are gained into synthesis pathways that minimize ensemble heterogeneity and move us toward the chemist’s dream of perfect nanocrystals.

Next, she will address a critical challenge in quantum photonics: the scalable integration of colloidal quantum dots as single-photon emitters. She demonstrates two approaches that exploit QD size to enable deterministic placement into large-scale ordered arrays while preserving photostability and quantum emission properties. Specifically, SiO2 and CdS shelling expand QD size, facilitating precise positioning via high-fidelity template-assisted self-assembly and electrohydrodynamic inkjet printing. She will show that single “colossal” QDs maintain room-temperature antibunching behavior and can be deterministically coupled to photonic cavities, advancing their viability for quantum technologies.

Get to Know Brandi
(Click HERE for Brandi’s CV)

Brandi Cossairt received her B. S. in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology in 2006. Brandi went on to pursue graduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under the guidance of Professor Christopher C. Cummins and was awarded her Ph.D. in 2010. She then continued her academic career as an NIH NRSA Postdoctoral Fellow at Columbia University between 2010 and 2012 working with Professor Jonathan Owen. Brandi joined the Department of Chemistry at the University of Washington as an Assistant Professor in 2012 and is now the Lloyd E. and Florence M. West Endowed Professor.

Her research group examines the nucleation, growth, surface chemistry, and reactivity of nanoscale materials to enable next-generation technologies in the diverse areas of displays, lighting, catalysis, quantum information, and hybrid matter. She has received a number of awards for her research including a Sloan Research Fellowship, a Packard Fellowship, an NSF CAREER Award, a Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, and the National Fresenius Award from the American Chemical Society. Outside of the lab Brandi is an Associate Editor at the ACS journal Inorganic Chemistry and is the co-founder of the Chemistry Women Mentorship Network (ChemWMN).