Charles (Chuck) Black
Director and Senior Scientist, Center for Functional Nanomaterials
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Center for Functional Nanomaterials
Bldg. 735
P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000
(631) 344-4397
ctblack@bnl.gov
I am the Director of the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) at Brookhaven National Laboratory, where I am also a Senior Scientist. The CFN is a national scientific user facility, which we operate for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as a resource for the worldwide scientific community. Each year, the CFN supports the science of more than 600 researchers from around the world — from universities, industry, and national laboratories. I am also currently leading a five-year, major DOE project to modernize the U.S. nanoscience infrastructure by developing and installing new instrumentation across the six national laboratories in the DOE complex.
Prior to becoming Director, I was Group Leader for Electronic Nanomaterials in the CFN, responsible for managing the staff and setting group research directions using nanostructured electronic materials for clean energy.
From 1996 to 2006, I was a Research Staff Member at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York, where my collaborators and I pioneered using polymer self-assembly for high-resolution patterning in semiconductor electronics.
Expertise | Education | Appointments | Publications | Awards
Expertise
In my 25-year career so far, I have at different times performed research in: nanomaterials for solar applications; polymer self-assembly for high-resolution patterning; superconductivity of nanoscale materials; nanocrystal-based materials and devices; low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy; and ferroelectric non-volatile memories.
Education
I earned a Ph.D. degree in Physics from Harvard University in 1996, studying with Professor Michael Tinkham. I earned B.S. degrees in Physics and Mathematics from Vanderbilt University in 1991.
Professional Appointments
- 2016– DIRECTOR, Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven Lab
- 2019– PROJECT DIRECTOR, Brookhaven National Laboratory. The DOE Nanoscale Science Research Centers Recapitalization project will modernize the U.S. nanoscience infrastructure.
- 2006–16 GROUP LEADER, Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven Lab
- 2015– SENIOR SCIENTIST, Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven Lab
- 2006–15 SCIENTIST, Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory
- 1999–2006 RESEARCH STAFF MEMBER, Physical Sciences, IBM T. J. Watson Research Center
- 1996–99 RESEARCH STAFF MEMBER, Silicon Technology, IBM T. J. Watson Research Center
- 1992–96 GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT, Harvard University
Selected Publications
- Liapis AC, Rahman A, Black CT (2017) Self-assembled nanotextures impart broadband transparency to glass windows and solar cell encapsulants. Applied Physics Letters 111:183901. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5000965
- Rahman A, Ashraf A, Xin H, et al (2015) Sub-50-nm self-assembled nanotextures for enhanced broadband antireflection in silicon solar cells. Nature Communications 6:. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms6963
- Checco A, Rahman A, Black CT (2013) Robust Superhydrophobicity in Large-Area Nanostructured Surfaces Defined by Block-Copolymer Self Assembly. Advanced Materials 26:886–891. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201304006
- Manfrinato VR, Stein A, Zhang L, et al (2017) Aberration-Corrected Electron Beam Lithography at the One Nanometer Length Scale. Nano Letters 17:4562–4567. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b00514
- Black CT, Ruiz R, Breyta G, et al (2007) Polymer self assembly in semiconductor microelectronics. IBM Journal of Research and Development 51:605–633. https://doi.org/10.1147/rd.515.0605
- Black CT, Guarini KW, Milkove KR, et al (2001) Integration of self-assembled diblock copolymers for semiconductor capacitor fabrication. Applied Physics Letters 79:409–411. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1383805
- Black CT, Murray CB, Sandstrom RL, Sun S (2000) Spin-Dependent Tunneling in Self-Assembled Cobalt-Nanocrystal Superlattices. Science 290:1131–1134. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.290.5494.1131
- Black CT, Ralph DC, Tinkham M (1996) Spectroscopy of the Superconducting Gap in Individual Nanometer-Scale Aluminum Particles. Physical Review Letters 76:688–691. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.76.688
Awards & Recognition
From 2015–17, I was a Member of the Board of Directors of the Materials Research Society. I am a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a Senior Member of the IEEE.
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Center for Functional Nanomaterials
Bldg. 735
P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000
(631) 344-4397
ctblack@bnl.gov
