I received my MSc degree in polymer chemistry with research on synthesis and characterization of polymer liquid crystals under the supervision of Professor Valery P. Shibaev at the Chemistry Department of Lomonosov Moscow State University.

My PhD research with Professor Eugenia Kumacheva at the University of Toronto dealt with polymer and surfactant self-assembly and physicochemical properties of macromolecules in confined geometries.

Before joining Laurier, I spent several fruitful years with the materials chemistry group of Professor Geoffrey Ozin at the University of Toronto, where I mastered synthesis of well-defined highly size-uniform nanoparticles, their self-assembly for functional applications, and colloidal photonic crystals.

My research is focused on the synthesis of colloidal nanoscale building blocks (NBBs) with controlled size, shape, surface, and physical properties and developing applications of these novel NBBs. These nanoscale building blocks include plasmonic metal nanoparticles of well-defined shape (e.g. silver decahedra, pentagonal rods, icosahedra, prisms, gold frames and stars, etc.) and tunable optical properties for applications in sensing and photonics. Another research direction is metal oxide nanostructures for photochemical and electrochemical applications.  Our work in the field has achieved substantial impact, as demonstrated by developed functional NBBs and research publications in high-impact journals, such as JACS and ACS Nano.

• Early Researcher Award from the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation (2010).

I have research assistantships opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students interested in materials and nanoscale chemistry. Summer lab work opportunities may be available in the summer. Contact me for more information.

I am willing to supervise graduate students in the areas of materials chemistry, polymer chemistry and nanoscale chemistry.

• [82] Murshid, N.; Cathcart, N.; Kitaev, V.* Room-Temperature Synthesis of Size-Uniform Polystyrene Latex and Characterization of Its Properties: Third-Year Undergraduate Teaching Lab. Journal of Chemical Education, submitted July 31, 2018.
• [81] Cathcart, N.; Murshid, N.; Campbell, P.; Kitaev, V.* Encapsulation of plasmonic metal nanoparticles with oxides for well-defined metallodielectrics and selective plasmonic sensing. In submission cycle since May 2018, resubmitted to ACS Applied Nano Materials, October 2018, an-2018-01331r.
• [80] Murshid, N.; Smith, D.S.; Kitaev, V.* Photochemical and seeded growth for tunable formation of gold nanostructures using thiolate Au(I) precursor.  Particle & Particle Systems Characterization, 2018, In Press, DOI: 10.1002/ppsc.201800285.
• [79] Cathcart, N.; J.I.L. Chen*, Kitaev, V.* LSPR tuning from 470 to 800 nm and Improved Stability of Au-Ag Nanoparticles Formed by Gold Deposition and Rebuilding in the Presence of Poly(styrenesulfonate). Langmuir, accepted Dec 2017, 2018, 34, 612-621.
• [78] Kitaev, V.*; Subedi, T. Synthesis of well-defined pentagonally prismatic silver nanoparticles: role of bromide in (100) stabilization and facet preservation. Chemical Communications, 2017, 53, 6444-6447.
• [77] Cathcart, N.;. Coombs, N.; Gourevich, I.; Kitaev, V.* Synthesis and Sensing Properties of D5h Pentagonal Silver Star Nanoparticles. Nanoscale, 2016, 8, 18282-18290.
• [76] Wright A. J.; Richens, J. L.; Bramble, J. P.; Cathcart, N.; Kitaev, V.; O'Shea, P.; Hudson, A. J. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering measurement from a lipid bilayer encapsulating a single decahedral nanoparticle mediated by an optical trap. Nanoscale, 2016, 8, 16395-16404.
• [75] Cathcart, N.; Kitaev, V.* Symmetry Breaking by Surface Blocking: Synthesis of Bimorphic Silver Nanoparticles. Scientific Reports (NPG), 2016, 6, 32561.
• [74] Hobbs, K.; Cathcart, N.; Kitaev, V.* Gold-plated silver nanoparticles engineered for sensitive plasmonic detection amplified by morphological changes. Chemical Communications, 2016, 52, 9785-9788.
• [73] Keunen, R. A.; Macoretta, D.; Cathcart, N.; Kitaev, V.* Stable ligand-free stellated polyhedral gold nanoparticles for sensitive plasmonic detection. Nanoscale, 2016, 8, 2575-2583.
• [72] Frank, A. J.; McEneny-King, A.; Cathcart, N.; Kitaev, V.* Homogeneously magnetically concentrated silver nanoparticles for uniform “hot spots” in surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy. RSC Advances, 2015, 5, 73919-73925.
• [71] Keunen, R. A.; Cathcart, N.; Kitaev, V.* Plasmon Mediated Shape and Size Selective Synthesis of Icosahedral Silver Nanoparticles via Oxidative Etching and Their 1-D Transformation to Pentagonal Pins. Nanoscale, 2014, 6, 8045-8051.
• [70] Vo, N. T.; Bufalino, M. R.; Hartlen, K. D.; Kitaev, V.; Lee, L.E. Cytotoxicity evaluation of silica nanoparticles using fish cell lines. Vitro Cell Dev. Biol. Anim., 2014, 50, 427-438.
• [69] Murshid, N.; Kitaev, V.* Role of PVP for selective facet stabilization in silver nanoparticles with pentagonal twinned defects. Chemical Communications, 2014, 50, 1247-1249.
• [68] Murshid, N.; Keogh, D.; Kitaev, V.* Optimized Synthetic Protocols for Preparation of Versatile Plasmonic Platform Based on Silver Nanoparticles with Pentagonal Symmetries. Particle & Particle Systems Characterization, 2014, 31, 178–189.
• [67] Murshid, N. Gourevich, I.; Coombs, N.; Kitaev, V.* Gold Plating of Silver Nanoparticles for Superior Stability and Preserved Plasmonic and Sensing Properties. Chemical Communications, 2013 49, 11355-11357. (Cover image)
• [66] von Freymann, G.; Kitaev, V.; Lotsch, B.; Ozin, G. A. Bottom-up Assembly of Photonic Crystals. Chemical Society Reviews, 2013, 42, 2528-2554. (Invited review for a special issue, written in collaboration by 4 professors in Germany and Canada).
• [65] Cathcart, N.; Kitaev, V.* Multifaceted prismatic silver nanoparticles: synthesis by chloride-directed selective growth from thiolate-protected clusters and SERS properties. Nanoscale, 2012, 4, 6981-6989. (Cover image)
• [64] Peiris, F. C.; Murphree, J. D.; Rodriguez, J. R.; Hatton, B. D.; Kitaev, V.; Ozin, G. A. Porosity tuning of the optical properties of mesoporous silica planar defect in macroporous silica opal. Journal of Applied Physics, 2012, 112, 093107. DOI: 10.1063/1.4759437.
• [63] Cathcart, N.; Kitaev, V.* Monodisperse hexagonal silver nanoprisms: synthesis via thiolate-protected cluster precursors and chiral, ligand-imprinted self-assembly. ACS Nano, 2011, 5, 7411-7425.
• [62] Cademartiri, L.;* and Kitaev V.* On the Nature and Importance of the Transition between Molecules and Nanocrystals: Towards a Chemistry of “Nanoscale Perfection”, Nanoscale, 2011, 3, 3435-3456. (Invited review, Cover image)
• [61] McEachran, M.; Keogh, D.; Pietrobon, B.; Cathcart, N.; Gourevich, I.; Coombs, N.; Kitaev, V.* Ultrathin Gold Nanoframes through Surfactant-Free Templating of Faceted Pentagonal Silver Nanoparticles. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2011, 133, 8066-8069.
• [59] Cathcart, N.; Kitaev, V.* “Silver Nanoclusters: Single-Stage Scaleable Synthesis of Monodisperse Species and Their Chirooptical Properties.” Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2010, 114, 16010–16017. (Invited, part of the special issue “Protected Metallic Clusters and Metallic Nanocrystal Molecules”).
• [56] Frank, A. J.; Cathcart, N.; Maly, K. E.; Kitaev, V.* “Synthesis of Silver Nanoprisms with Variable Size and Investigation of Their Optical Properties. A First-year Undergraduate Experiment Exploring Plasmonic Nanoparticles.” Journal of Chemical Education 2010, 87, 1098-1101.
• [53] Pietrobon, B.; McEachran, M.; Kitaev, V.* “Synthesis of Size-controlled Faceted Pentagonal Silver Nanorods with Tunable Plasmonic Properties.” ACS Nano 2009, 3, 21-26. (Featured in a Perspectives Review).
• [50] Pietrobon, B.; Kitaev, V.* “Photochemical Synthesis of Monodisperse Size-Controlled Silver Decahedral Nanoparticles and Their Remarkable Optical Properties.” Chemistry of Materials 2008, 20, 5186–5190. (Featured on a cover page January and February 2009).

• Laurier researcher receives federal funding for innovative development of nanoscale composite materials