Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Commons^™

Nucleation And Growth Of Metals On Carbon Surfaces, David Victor Appy

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis work presents an investigation of the basic interaction between metals and the carbon surfaces HOPG and amorphous carbon. This work was motivated by the discovery of a family of metal nanowires which grow as single crystals protruding substantially perpendicular to a substrate, where the substrate is held at elevated temperature (800-1100 K). The most prolific growth is seen for Cu on amorphous carbon substrates. The fabrication and properties of these wires have been pioneered by our collaborator, Dr. Gunther Richter, at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, Germany. They have potential uses in nanoscale mechanical ...

Rod-Like Plasmonic Nanoparticles As Optical Building Blocks: How Differences In Particle Shape And Structural Geometry Influence Optical Signal, Anthony Shawn Stender

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Gold nanoparticles, particularly those with an anisotropic shape, have become a popular optical probe for experiments involving work on the nanoscale. However, to carry out such delicate and intricate experiments, it is first necessary to understand the detailed behavior of individual nanoparticles. In this series of experiments, optical and electron microscopy were utilized for the characterization of individual nanoparticles and small assemblies of nanoparticles.

In the first experiment, gold nanorods were investigated. Single, isolated nanorods exhibit two maxima of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), which are associated with the two nanorod axes. Upon the physical rotation of a nanorod at ...