Cats Nikolay

Cats Nikolay

Biography

Nikolay Kotov graduated from chemical faculty MSU where in 1990 he received a doctor's degree then he worked 2 years in laboratory Alma Mater. From 1992 to 1996 was an employee of the Sirakuz University (New York, the USA), then in 1997 - 1999 years worked as the invited professor at the University of Hamburg (Germany).

Along with 1996 and for 2003 worked at the University of Oklahoma, the USA where finished career in Associate Professor position. Since 2003 works in the University of Michigan, the USA, since 2008 – as professor.

Scientific achievements

The future of electronics behind flexible materials which can be used in the most different areas of the equipment, from normal mobile phones to medical implants and solar batteries. A problem only that the flexibility and conductivity are such properties of material which are very difficult for combining.

If briefly to explain a problem, then it occurs because stretching of metal extends chemical bonds, increasing distance between atoms that automatically reduces conductivity. Professor of the University of Michigan Nikolay Kotov, perhaps, found one of the best solutions of this problem.

The new material created with its participation is made of the gold nanoplates combined with synthetic material polyurethane. Article about this material appeared in the Nature magazine on July 17, 2013. In it it is said that it can stretch more than twice from initial length, without losing the properties.

Scientists used an electron microscope to monitor changes of material at stretching. They note that at stretching gold nanoparticles are built in a chain, saving good conductivity, and this process is reversible. Nanoparticles are made specially in laboratory and have very thin covers. "It is important as usually the cover stabilizes particles, interfering with transfer of an electron from one nanoparticle to another", - Nikolay Kotov notes.

Use of the material received thus can be very wide, but Nikolay Kotov is most interested in its application in the medical purposes. Search of flexible material with good conductivity will be continued by scientists, but achievements of a command of the University of Michigan it is a significant step forward.

Links

The page on the website of the University of Michigan

Stretchable nanoparticle conductors with self-organized conductive pathways (Nature, 17/07/2013,en)