Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Interfacial Ligand Dynamics And Chemistry On Highly Curved Nanoparticle Surfaces: A Plasmon-Enhanced Spectroscopic Study, Esteban Villarreal

Theses and Dissertations

The dynamic interactions between capping ligands and nanoparticle surfaces play a critical role in guiding shape-controlled nanocrystalline growth, imparting unique physical and chemical properties to the nanoparticles. It has been well established that nanoparticles within the size regime of sub 5 nm possess unique heterogeneous catalytic properties, while sub wavelength metallic nanoparticles exhibit tunable plasmonic activity, when these properties are integrated into a single nanoparticle, it presents a significant opportunity to monitor, in real time, the molecular transformations associated with interfacial interactions at the nanoparticle surface. Using plasmon-enhanced Raman scattering as an ultrasensitive spectroscopic tool combining molecular fingerprinting with time …