Research Interests

My current research focuses on the physics and chemistry under high pressure by employing various spectroscopic techniques combined with the diamond anvil cell. Current projects include surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) to understand surface-adsorbate and particle-particle interactions as well as optical studies of semiconductor nanoparticle systems.

Past research used solvatochromic dye probes to study microviscosity (fluorescence anisotropy) and solvation dynamics (time dependent fluorescence Stokes shift) of nonionic aqueous polymer solutions on the femtosecond (fluorescence upconversion) to nanosecond (time correlated single photon counting) time scales. Past research also used femtosecond pump-probe transient absorption spectroscopy to study electronic relaxation in Au metal nanoparticle aggregates, subnanometer Au nanoclusters, and semiconductor nanoparticles.

Ph.D., Physical Chemistry, University of California at Santa Cruz, 2003

B.S., Chemistry, University of California at Davis, 1998

1. Schwartzberg, A. M., C. D. Grant, T. van Buuren, and J. Z. Zhang, "The Reduction of HAuCl4 by Na2S Revisited: Structure and Optical Properties of the Nanomaterial Product," submitted to J. Phys. Chem. B (2006).
2. Shaw, G. B., C. D. Grant, H. Shirota, E. W. Castner, Jr., and L. X. Chen, "Ultrafast Structural Rearrangements in the MLCT Excited State for Copper(I) bis-Phenanthrolines in Solution," submitted to J. Am. Chem. Soc. (2006).
3. Grant, C. D., K. Steege, M. R. DeRitter, and E. W. Castner, Jr., "Microviscosity in Multiple Regions of Complex Aqueous Solutions of Poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide)," J. Phys. Chem. B 109 22273-22284 (2005).
4. Grant, C. D., K. Steege, T. Fadeeva, M. R. DeRitter, and E. W. Castner, Jr., "Fluorescence Probing of Interior, Interfacial, and Exterior Regions in solutions of PEO-PPO-PEO Triblock Copolymers," Langmuir 21, 1745-1752 (2005).
5. Zhang, J. Z., A. M. Schwartzberg, T. J. Norman, Jr., C. D. Grant, J. Liu, F. Bridges, and T. Van Buuren, "Comment on 'Gold Nanoshells Improve Single Nanoparticle Molecular Sensors.'" Nano Lett. 5 809-810 (2005).
6. Olano, E. M., C. D. Grant, T. J. Norman, Jr., E. W. Castner, Jr., and J. Z. Zhang, "Photoluminescence Decay Dynamics and Mechanism of Energy Transfer in Undoped and Mn2+ Doped ZnSe Nanoparticles," J. Nanosci. Nanotechno. 5, 1492-1497 (2005).
7. Norman, Jr., T. J., C. D. Grant, A. M. Schwartzberg, and J. Z. Zhang, "Structural Correlations with Shifts in the Extended Plasma Resonance of Gold Nanoparticle Aggregates," Opt. Mater. 27, 1197-1203 (2005).
8. Norman, Jr., T. J., C. D. Grant, and J. Z. Zhang, "Optical and Dynamic Properties of Assembled Nanoparticles," Chapter in Nanostructure Assemblies and Superstructures (2005).
9. Grant, C. D., A. M. Schwartzberg, Y. Yang, S. Chen, and J. Z. Zhang, "Femtosecond Transient Absorption Study of Au11 Nanoclusters," Chem. Phys. Lett. 383 (2004) 31-34.
10. Grant, C. D., T. J. Norman, Jr., and J. Z. Zhang, "Charge Carrier Dynamics in Nanoparticles," Chapter in Encyclopedia of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, American Scientific Publishers (2004).
11. Grant, C. D., A. M. Schwartzberg, T. J. Norman, Jr., and J. Z. Zhang, "Ultrafast Electronic Relaxation and Coherent Vibrational Oscillations of Strongly Coupled Gold Nanoparticle Aggregates," J. Am. Chem. Soc. 125, 549 553 (2003).
12. Grant, C. D., A. M. Schwartzberg, G. P. Smestad, J. Kowalik, L. M. Tolbert, and J. Z. Zhang, "Optical and Electrochemical Characterization of Poly(3-undecyl-2,2'-bithiophene) in Thin Film Solid State TiO2 Photovoltaic Solar Cells," Synth. Met. 132, 197-204 (2003).
13. Smestad, G. P., S. Spiekermann, J. Kowalik, C. D. Grant, A. M. Schwartzberg, J. Z. Zhang, L. M. Tolbert, and E. Moons. "A Technique to Compare Polythiophene Solid State Dye-Sensitized TiO2 Solar Cells to Liquid Junction Devices," Solar Energy Mater. Solar Cells. 76, 85-105 (2003).
14. Norman, Jr., T. J., C. D. Grant, D. Magana, D. Cao, F. Bridges, J. Liu, T. van Buuren, and J. Z. Zhang, "Near Infrared Absorption of Gold Nanoparticle Aggregates," J. Phys. Chem. B 106, 7005-7012 (2002).
15. Grant, C. D., A. M. Schwartzberg, G. P. Smestad, J. Kowalik, L. M. Tolbert, and J. Z. Zhang, "Characterization of Nanocrystalline and Thin Film TiO2 Solar Cells with Poly(3-undecyl-2,2'-bithiophene) as a Sensitizer and Hole Conductor," J. Electroanal. Chem. 522, 40-48 (2002).

16. Conference Proceedings

17. Schwartzberg, A. M., C. D. Grant, A. Wolcott, C. Talley, T. Huser, R. Bogomolni, and J. Z. Zhang, "Unique Gold Nanoparticle Aggregates as a Highly Active SERS Substrate," J. Phys. Chem. B 108, 19191-19197 (2004).
18. Schwartzberg, A. M., C. D. Grant, A. Wolcott, R. Bogomolni, and J. Z. Zhang, "Synthesis and Characterization of Gold Nanoparticle Aggregates as Novel Substrates for Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering," SPIE Proc. 5221, 100-107 (2003).
19. Grant, C. D., T. J. Norman, Jr., T. Morris, G. Szulczewski, and J. Z. Zhang, "Ultrafast Electronic Relaxation Dynamics in Gold(I) Sulfide Nanoparticles," SPIE Proc. 4807, 216-222 (2002).
20. Norman, Jr., T. J., C. D. Grant, D. Magana, R. Anderson, J. Z. Zhang, D. Cao, F. Bridges, J. Liu, and T. van Buuren, "Longitudinal Plasma Resonance Shifts in Gold Nanoparticles Aggregates," SPIE Proc. 4807, 51-58 (2002).