Joseph Tracy
University Faculty Scholar and Professor
- Email: jbtracy@ncsu.edu
- Office: Engineering Building I 3074D
- Website: https://mse.ncsu.edu/nanomagnetism/
Many kinds of nanoscale materials have size- and shape-tunable physical properties arising from their reduced dimensions and high surface-area-to-volume ratio. We synthesize magnetic and noble metal nanoparticles using a “bottom-up” approach starting from molecular precursors. Surface modification of nanoparticles with organic molecules and inorganic overcoatings imparts additional chemical, physical, and biological functionality. The surface plasmon resonance of gold nanoparticles depends on their shape and is sensitive to interparticle coupling. Magnetic nanoparticles have size-dependent magnetic properties and can be manipulated with magnetic fields, for example to direct assembly into chains. Incorporating magnetic and plasmonic nanoparticles into soft polymers makes possible remote actuation with magnetic fields and light.
My research interests include the synthesis, characterization, and self-assembly of noble metal, magnetic, and multifunctional nanoparticles and their applications in soft robotics, sensors, and medicine.
Publications
- Agglomeration of Nanoparticles Inhibits Solvent‐Driven Ligand Stripping
- Mahmood, A. U., Rizvi, M. H., Tracy, J. B., & Yingling, Y. G. (2025, July 6), Advanced Materials Interfaces, Vol. 7. https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.202500234
- DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CARDIAC VALVE REDUCTION
- MUATH, B. I. S. H. A. W. I., KEN, G. A. L. L., B, T. R. A. C. Y. J. O. S. E. P. H., MATT, C. L. A. R. Y., & SYDNEY, C. O. O. K. (2025). , . Retrieved from https://www.lens.org/007-332-563-628-818
- In-situ thermo-mechano-chemical transformation and consolidation of Sm-Co powders via a single-step route for bulk magnet fabrication
- Malakar, A., Martin, A., Ishrak, F., Schenck, C., Yu, A., Pole, M., … Gwalani, B. (2025, August 13), Nature Communications, Vol. 16. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62804-9
- The rising danger of AI-generated images in nanomaterials science and what we can do about it
- Davydiuk, N., Krieg, E., Gaitzsch, J., McCall, P. M., Auernhammer, G. K., Yang, M., … Besford, Q. A. (2025, September 1), Nature Nanotechnology, Vol. 9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-025-02009-9
- Thiol–Ene Click Chemistry for Functionalizing Silica-Overcoated Gold Nanorods
- Ghelardini, M. M., Zhou, C., Urban, B., Müller, M., & Tracy, J. B. (2025, March 21), Chemistry of Materials, Vol. 3. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.4c02625
- 3D-Printed Hydrogels as Photothermal Actuators
- Ghelardini, M. M., Geisler, M., Weigel, N., Hankwitz, J. P., Hauck, N., Schubert, J., … Thiele, J. (2024, July 17), Polymers. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16142032
- Aluminum/SmCo5 composites for structural and magnetic applications
- Ishrak, F., Lastovich, M., Malakar, A., Haridas, R. S., Bhattacharjee, A. J., Qiao, H., … Gwalani, B. (2024, September 1), Journal of Materials Science, Vol. 9, pp. 16981–16992. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-024-10208-3
- In situ pulmonary mucus hydration assay using rotational and translational diffusion of gold nanorods with polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography
- Oeler, K. J., Blackmon, R. L., Kreda, S. M., Robinson, T., Ghelardini, M., Chapman, B. S., … Oldenburg, A. L. (2024, April 30), Journal of Biomedical Optics, Vol. 29. https://doi.org/10.1117/1.jbo.29.4.046004
- Machine Learning and Small Data-Guided Optimization of Silica Shell Morphology on Gold Nanorods
- Mahmood, A. U., Ghelardini, M. M., Tracy, J. B., & Yingling, Y. G. (2024, August 22), Chemistry of Materials, Vol. 8. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.3c03204
- Magnetic Reprogramming of Self‐Assembled Hard‐Magnetic Cilia
- Clary, M. R., Cantu, S. N., Liu, J. A. C., Evans, E. E., & Tracy, J. B. (2024, April 22), Advanced Materials Technologies, Vol. 4. https://doi.org/10.1002/admt.202302243
