Associate Professor of Chemistry and (by courtesy) of Materials Science and Engineering


B.S. Chemistry, Stanford University, 1996

Ph.D. Chemical Physics, Harvard University, 2001

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Nanoscale patterning combined with chemical synthesis

The study of systems with nanometer dimensions is an exciting area of research that offers opportunities for innovation and creativity. One challenge that nanotechnology currently faces is the development of tools to manipulate nanoscale building blocks into useful structures over large areas. This control requires a detailed understanding over several length scales in order to achieve (i) precise nanoscale (1-100 nm) manipulation, (ii) assembly into mesoscale (100-1000 nm) strucures, and (iii) connection to the macroscopic (mm). Our approach to this problem is to create patterned, functional arrays on surfaces that can assist in the growth and manipulation of nanomaterials. We focus on a wide range of inorganic nanostructures, with a particular emphasis on nanoscale metal chalcogenide materials. In addition, we are developing functional substrates that can be used to direct the growth, size, and shape of individual nanocrystals as well as organic crystals.

Plasmonic materials and their optical properties

Plasmonics is an exciting and emerging area that uses metal nanostructures to manipulate light on the nanoscale. Depending on their size, shape, and materials properties, noble metal nanoparticles can scatter and absorb light to produce colors ranging from the ultra-violet to the near-infrared. In addition, significantly more light can be transmitted through metal films perforated with subwavelength hole arrays than is permitted by geometric optics, a phenomena known as enhanced optical transmission. The physical basis behind these interesting properties is the interaction between surface conduction electrons and light; these collective excitations are surface plasmons (SPs). In general, there are two types of SPs: localized surface plasmons (LSPs) and surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs).

We focus primarily on the optical properties of two different but complementary systems that can control light on the nanometer scale: (i) metallic films of nanohole arrays and (ii) pyramidal nanoparticles. The former have properties dominated by SPPs, and the latter have properties dominated by LSPs. Such nanostructures are easily made by our innovative fabrication scheme, PEEL, for preparing large-area, free-standing films of nanoscale holes and particles. PEEL is a simple procedure which combines Phase-shifting photolithography, Etching, Electron-beam deposition, and Lift-off of the metal film. In addition, we are interested in how SPs interact with each other over microscale distances. We have developed a high-throughput nanofabrication techniquesoft interference lithography (SIL)that combines the ability of interference lithography to produce wafer-scale nanopatterns with the versatility of soft lithography and used it to create plasmonic metamaterials. Such hierarchical structures have ca. 100-nm features that can be organized in microscale arrays over macroscale (tens of square centimetres) areas.

Odom Research Group

Associations and Awards
Phi Beta Kappa, Stanford University, 1996

S.S. & I.M.F. Marsden Memorial Prize for Chemistry Research, Stanford University, 1996

Karplus Award for Chemical Physics, Harvard University, 1996

NSF Predoctoral Fellowship, Harvard University, 1996-99

White Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching, Harvard University, 1999

IUPAC Prize for Young Chemists, 2001

Australian Journal of Chemistry Top Prize, 2001

NIH NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship, Harvard University, 2001-2002

Dow Teacher-Scholar Award, Northwestern University, 2002-2004

Research Innovation Award, Northwestern University, 2002

Hewlett Funding for Undergraduate Innovation in Teaching, Northwestern Universty, 2002

Victor K. LaMer Award (ACS Colloids and Surface Chemistry), 2003

Searle Fellow, Northwestern University, 2003-2004

David and Lucille Packard Fellowship, Northwestern University, 2003-2007

NSF CAREER Award, Northwestern University, 2004-2008

NSF NUE Award, Northwestern University, 2004-2006

Named to the MIT Technology Review TR100 as "one of the world’s top young innovators", 2004

Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, 2005

DuPont Young Investigator Grant, 2005

Cottrell Scholar Award (Research Corporation), 2005

ExxonMobil Solid State Chemistry Faculty Fellowship, 2006

Rohm and Haas New Faculty Award, 2007

Select Publications
J. Henzie, M.H. Lee, and T.W. Odom, Nature Nanotech. 2, 549-554 (2007). "Multiscale Patterning of Plasmonic Metamaterials."

V. Meenakshi, Y. Babayan, and T.W. Odom, J. Chem. Ed. accepted (2007). "Benchtop Nanoscale Patterning using Soft Lithography."

C.L. Stender and T.W. Odom, J. Mater. Chem. 17, 1866-1869 (2007). "Chemical Nanofabrication: A General Route to Surface-Patterned and Free-standing Transition Metal Chalcogenide Nanostructures." PDF Reprint

S.P. Price, J. Henzie, and T.W. Odom, Small 3, 372-374 (2007). "Addressable, Large-area Nanoscale Organic Light Emitting Diodes." PDF Reprint

Y. Gu, J.P. Romankiewicz, J.K. David, J.L. Lensch, E.S. Kwak, T.W. Odom, and L.J. Lauhon, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 24, 2172-2177 (2006). "Local Photocurrent Mapping as a Probe of Contact Effects and Charge Carrier Transport in Semiconductor Nanowire Devices." PDF Reprint

H. Gao, J. Henzie, and T.W. Odom, Nano Letters 6, 2104-2107 (2006). "Direct Evidence for Surface Plasmon-Mediated Enhanced Light Transmission through Metallic Nanohole Arrays." PDF Reprint

J. Henzie, K.L. Shuford, E.-S. Kwak, G.C. Schatz, and T.W. Odom, J. Phys. Chem. B 110, 14028-14031 (2006). "Manipulating the Optical Properties of Pyramidal Nanoparticle Arrays." PDF Reprint