We are interested in applying the principle of self-assembly to control the interfacial properties required for specific applications. Our primary focus is to design and characterize functional surfaces with major emphasis to novel nanomaterial synthesis and biomolecular recognition. We are motivated by the rationale that the organization of inorganic nanostructures (like nanotubes, nanowires etc.) and also nanometer scale biomolecules are useful for the design of bioactive surfaces and is the platform for novel material synthesis. This “bottom-up” approach in combination with the existing “top-down” manipulation techniques can generate functional devices and structures composed of nanoscopic entities. The characterization techniques used for such studies include Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), AC and DC based electrochemical methods, X-ray diffraction, UV-Visible and Raman spectroscopies, and other surface analysis techniques like X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The information from these studies will help us understand how a nanocatalyst function or how a carbon nanotube array can detect a single stranded DNA. We are also interested in studying the toxic potential of the nanomaterials on yeast cells and other microorganisms.