Keszler’s research group focuses on the synthesis and study of inorganic molecules and materials related to next-generation electronic and energy devices. Their discovery and development on water-based chemistries for high-quality films demonstrates the leading results in the field of ultra small-scale dense nanopatterning and tunneling electronic devices. One of their recent publication in 2014 focuses on amorphous oxide semiconductor (AOS) thin-film transistors (TFTs) which are widely used in active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) applications, as well as active-matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) backplane applications. AMOLED is a display technology used in smartwatches, mobile devices, laptops, and televisions. OLED describes a specific type of think-film-display technology. TFT is a special kind of field-effect transistor made by depositing thin films of an active semiconductor layer as well as the dielectric layer and metallic contacts over a supporting but non-conducting substrate. Keszler's group discovered that indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) is a material-of choice for the replacement of hydrogenated silicon (a-Si:H) that is currently used in switching TFTs. IGZO comparing to hydrogenated silicon material has incredible advantages in the cost of synthesis.
Another aspect of Keszler's research demonstrates synthesis of functional inorganic materials such as high-quality inorganic films and ordered nanostructures with single-digit nanometer resolution in solution. In 2013, they came up with successful aqueous-based synthesis of ultrathin films of TiO and aqueous-derived AlO(PO)(AlPO) films and were able to assemble these materials into nanolaminates. Keszler group’s successful synthesis of flat cluster [Al(μ-OH)(μ-OH)(HO)] using an electrochemical method and treating aqueous aluminum nitrate solution with a zinc metal powder at room temperature demonstrate the importance of his work to the field of water-based material synthesis. From that, they focused more on developing aqueous-based synthesis of couple other compounds such as [Sc(μ-OH)(HO)(NO)](NO)] from an aqueous scandium nitrate solution.