A truck driver delivering a shipment in the middle of the night uses a multi-spectral infrared (IR) imaging display in the vehicle console to assist in his night vision.

 A team from the Environmental Protection Agency uses a hand-held  spectrometer at the site of a chemical spill to immediately identify dangerous pollutants in water, air, and soil samples.

A building contractor uses standard roofing materials coated with plastic solar cells to store the Sun’s energy as a power supply for building systems.

 A doctor with the World Health Organization uses a hand-held immunoassay to screen blood, saliva, and urine samples for malaria and other diseases in a remote village in a developing country.

These applications require devices that integrate multiple functions in a small space. Our research group pursues a materials-based approach to achieving such multi-functionality. By integrating hybrid nanomaterials in a single device heterostructure, we enable the simultaneous sensing of multiple physical phenomena.