The thesis consists of eight chapters of which the first chapter presents a brief overview of inorganic nanostructures. Synthesis and magnetic properties of MnO and NiO nanocrystals are described in Chapter 2, with emphasis on the low-temperature ferromagnetic interactions in these antiferromagnetic oxides. Chapter 3 deals with the synthesis and characterizations of nanocrystals of ReO3, RuO2 and IrO2 which are oxides with metallic properties. Pressure-induced phase transitions of ReO3 nanocrystals and the use of the nanocrystals for carrying out surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy of the molecules form Chapter 4. Use of ionic liquids to synthesize different nanostructures of semiconducting metal sulfides and selenides is described in Chapter 5. Synthesis of Mn-doped GaN nanocrystals and their magnetic properties are described in Chapter 6. A detailed investigation has been carried out on the growth kinetics of nanostructures of a few inorganic materials by using small-angle X-ray scattering and other techniques (Chapter 7). The study includes the growth kinetics of nanocrystals of Au, CdS and CdSe as well as of nanorods of ZnO. Results of a synchrotron X-ray study of the formation of nanocrystalline gold films at the organic-aqueous interface are also included in this chapter. Chapter 8 discuses the use of the organic-aqueous interface to generate Janus nanocrystalline films of inorganic materials where one side of the film is hydrophobic and other side is hydrophilic. This chapter also includes the formation of nanostructured peptide fibrils at the organic-aqueous interface and their use as templates to prepare inorganic nanotubes.

Surfaces and interfaces are of fundamental importance from the nucleation to growth of crystals formed under different conditions such as vapor phase, liquid phase including biomineralisation conditions. Recently there is lot of interest in controlling the shape of nanoparticles during the synthesis due to their excellent shape dependent properties. Understanding the role of surfaces and interfaces is vital for such shapecontrolled synthesis of nanomaterials. On the surface, coordination number, structure, density and composition are different from that of bulk and hence the properties are completely different in the surfaces and interfaces of any crystalline material. Especially when the length scale become nanoscale, the surface and interface play a dominant important role and leads to several new and interesting phenomena. In this dissertation, the role of surfaces and interfaces on the synthesis and the properties of inorganic functional nanostructures have been studied. The work primarily relies on basic chemistry to synthesize nanostructures that brings the importance of surfaces/interfaces into the picture. Though several basic characterization techniques have been used, electron microscopy has been the emphasis and has been used extensively through the work to probe and explore the materials for characterizing the structures over a variety of length scales. The entire thesis based on the results and findings obtained from the present investigation are organized as follows: Chapter1 gives a general introduction to the surfaces and interfaces to create a background for the investigation. This emphasizes the role of surfaces and interfaces in several aspects starting from nucleation, growth to the properties of inorganic crystals. It gives some exposure in to the different type of surface phenomenon which is common in nanoscale materials. Chapter 2 deals with the materials and methods which essentially gives the information about the materials used for the synthesis and the techniques utilized to characterize the materials chosen for the investigation. Chapter 3 deals with predicting the morphology of 2D nanostructures by combining the crystal growth theory into chemical thermodynamics. Morphology diagrams have been developed for Au, Ag, Pt and Pd to predict conditions under which two-dimensional nanostructures form as a result of a chemical reaction. In addition, it provides the general understanding of shape control in 2D nanostructures with atomistic mechanism. The validity of the morphology diagram has been tested for various noble metals by carrying out critical experiments. As a result, 2D nanostructures of metals projecting the lowest energy facet resulted in a complete novel way in the absence of any capping/reducing agents. Chapter 4 deals with predicting the formation of 2D nanostructures of inorganic crystals formed as a result of precipitation reaction. Morphology diagram has been developed for the case of hydroxyapatite, an inorganic part of the human bone. This answers some of the long standing question related to the shape of the HA crystals formed in the bone by biomineralisation. The generality of the method has been tested to few other inorganic crystals such as CaCO3, ZnO and CuO formed through precipitation reaction. The key finding of the above two chapter is that the low driving force of the chemical reactions results in two dimensional nanostructures. On contrary, high chemical driving force combined with the optimum zeta potential results in porous aggregate of nanoparticles. Chapter 5 discusses the formation of porous clusters of metals and ceramics at specific conditions. The mechanism behind the formation of monodisperse aggregates are investigated based on the interaction energies of nanoparticles in aqueous medium. This chapter reveals the role of surface charge and the surface energy in controlling the stability of nanoparticles in aqueous medium. In addition, it provides the simple methodology to produce well controlled porous clusters by exploiting the competition between surface charge and surface energy during the aggregation. The application of the porous clusters of Pt has been tested for methanol oxidation which is essential for fuel cell applications. Chapter 6 deals with the development of porous biphasic scaffolds through the morphology transition of nanorods. Rod shape is not stable when subjected to high temperature due to instability and spherodisation takes place to minimize the surface energy. Here in this chapter, by exploiting spherodisation along with the phase transition, highly interconnected porous structure of hydroxyapatite and tricalcium phosphate is achieved. Combined with the morphology transition, by adding naphthalene as a template, the possibility of achieving hierarchical porous structure also presented. The mechanical strength of the biphasic porous scaffold has been tested by microindentation. Mechanical properties of apatite are generally poor and there are lots of efforts to improve the mechanical properties apatite by the composite approach. Chapter 7 deals with the HA-Alumina and HA-TCP composites. In spite of much attention given to the mechanical properties of the composites, the interfacial phenomenon that takes place between the components of the nanocomposite has not been studied in detail. In the present study, interfacial reactions in hydroxyapatite-alumina nanocomposites have been investigated and new reaction mechanism also proposed. The degradation of densification process has been observed for the HATCP composites due to the creation of porous interface between HA crystals and TCP matrix. Mechanical properties of these two composites have been studied using microindentation. The mechanical properties of HA and TCP single crystals are important for developing the biphasic composites with reliable mechanical properties. Chapter8deals with the mechanical behavior of hydroxyapatite and tricalcium phosphate single crystals. The mechanical properties of HA and TCP have been studied by performing nanoand microindentation on specific crystallographic facets. In case of hydroxyapatite, the anisotropy in mechanical properties has been explored by performing indentation on its prism and basal planes. Nanoscale plasticity is observed in both HA and TCP crystals which arise due to the easy movement of surface atoms with lesser coordination compared to the bulk. Nanoindentation has been performed in the calciumdeficient HA platelets provides important clues about the role of calcium deficiency on the mechanical behavior of bone and has implications for the properties of osteoporotic bones.

This thesis deals with the research work carried out on the properties and applications such as GaN nanoparticles, Graphene etc. Chapter 1 of the thesis gives introduction to nanomaterials and various aspects of the thesis. Chapter 2 of the thesis describes the synthesis of GaN nanocrystals and their use as white light sources and as room temperature gas sensors. It also discusses negative differential resistance above room temperature exhibited by GaN. Electroluminescence from GaN-polymer heterojunction forms the last section of this chapter. Chapter 3 demonstrates the role of defect concentration on the photodetecting properties of ZnO nanorods with different defects prepared at different temperatures. Chapter 4 presents remarkable infrared and ultraviolet photodetector properties of reduced graphene oxide and graphene nanoribbons. Chapter 5 presents the infrared detecting properties of graphene-like few-layer MoS2. The summary of the thesis is given at the end of the thesis.

It is well known that nanostructures possess unique electronic, optical, magnetic, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties that are often superior to traditional bulk materials. In particular, one dimensional (1D) nanostructured inorganic materials including nanofibres, nanotubes and nanobelts have attracted considerable attention due to their distinctive geometries, novel physical and chemical properties, combined effects and their applications to numerous areas. Metal ion doping is a promising technique which can be utilized to control the properties of materials by intentionally introducing impurities or defects into a material. γ-Alumina (Al2O3), is one of the most important oxides due to its high surface area, mesoporous properties, chemical and thermal properties and its broad applications in adsorbents, composite materials, ceramics, catalysts and catalyst supports. γ-Alumina has been studied intensively over a long period of time. Recently, considerable work has been carried out on the synthesis of 1D γ-alumina nanostructures under various hydrothermal conditions; however, research on the doping of alumina nanostructures has not been forthcoming. Boehmite (γ-AlOOH) is a crucial precursor for the preparation of γ-Alumina and the morphology and size of the resultant alumina can be manipulated by controlling the growth of AlOOH. Gallium (Ga) is in the same group in the periodic table as aluminum. β-Gallium (III) oxide (β-Ga2O3), a wide band gap semiconductor, has long been known to exhibit conduction, luminescence and catalytic properties. Numerous techniques have been employed on the synthesis of gallium oxide in the early research. However, these techniques are plagued by inevitable problems. It is of great interest to explore the synthesis of gallium oxide via a low temperature hydrothermal route, which is economically efficient and environmentally friendly. The overall objectives of this study were: 1) the investigation of the effect of dopants on the morphology, size and properties of metal ion doped 1D alumina nanostructures by introducing dopant to the AlOOH structure; 2) the investigation of impacts of hydrothermal conditions and surfactants on the crystal growth of gallium oxide nanostructures. To achieve the above objectives, trivalent metal elements such as iron, gallium and yttrium were employed as dopants in the study of doped alumina nanostructures. In addition, the effect of various parameters that may affect the growth of gallium oxide crystals including temperature, pH, and the experimental procedure as well as different types of surfactants were systematically investigated. The main contributions of this study are: 1) the systematic and in-depth investigation of the crystal growth and the morphology control of iron, gallium and yttrium doped boehmite (AlOOH) under varying hydrothermal conditions, as a result, a new soft-chemistry synthesis route for the preparation of one dimensional alumina/boehmite nanofibres and nanotubes was invented; 2) systematic investigation of the crystal growth and morphology and size changes of gallium oxide hydroxide (GaOOH) under varying hydrothermal conditions with and without surfactant at low temperature; We invented a green hydrothermal route for the preparation of α-GaOOH or β-GaOOH micro- to nano-scaled particles; invented a simple hydrothermal route for the direct preparation of γ-Ga2O3 from aqueous media at low temperature without any calcination. The study provided detailed synthesis routes as well as quantitative property data of final products which are necessary for their potential industrial applications in the future. The following are the main areas and findings presented in the study: • Fe doped boehmite nanostructures This work was undertaken at 120ºC using PEO surfactant through a hydrothermal synthesis route by adding fresh iron doped aluminium hydrate at regular intervals of 2 days. The effect of dopant iron, iron percentage and experimental procedure on the morphology and size of boehmite were systematically studied. Iron doped boehmite nanofibres were formed in all samples with iron contents no more than 10%. Nanosheets and nanotubes together with an iron rich phase were formed in 20% iron doped boehmite sample. A change in synthesis procedure resulted in the formation of hematite large crystals. The resultant nanomaterials were characterized by a combination of XRD, TEM, EDX, SAED and N2 adsorption analysis. • Growth of pure boehmite nanofibres/nanotubes The growth of pure boehmite nanofibres/nanotubes under different hydrothermal conditions at 100ºC with and without PEO surfactant was systematically studied to provide further information for the following studies of the growth of Ga and Y doped boehmite. Results showed that adding fresh aluminium hydrate precipitate in a regular interval resulted in the formation of a mixture of long and short 1D boehmite nanostructures rather than the formation of relatively longer nanofibres/nanotubes. The detailed discussion and mechanism on the growth of boehmite nanostructure were presented. The resultant boehmite samples were also characterized by N2 adsorption to provide further information on the surface properties to support the proposed mechanism. • Ga doped boehmite nanostructures Based on this study on the growth of pure boehmite nanofibre/nanotubes, gallium doped boehmite nanotubes were prepared via hydrothermal treatment at 100ºC in the presence of PEO surfactant without adding any fresh aluminium hydrate precipitate during the hydrothermal treatment. The effect of dopant gallium, gallium percentage, temperature and experimental procedure on the morphology and size of boehmite was systematically studied. Various morphologies of boehmite nanostructures were formed with the increase in the doping gallium content and the change in synthesis procedure. The resultant gallium doped boehmite nanostructures were characterized by TEM, XRD, EDX, SAED, N2 adsorption and TGA. • Y doped boehmite nanostructures Following the same synthesis route as that for gallium doped boehmite, yttrium doped boehmite nanostructures were prepared at 100ºC in the presence of PEO surfactant. From the study on iron and gallium doped boehmite nanostructures, it was noted both iron and gallium cannot grow with boehmite nanostructure if iron nitrate and gallium nitrate were not mixed with aluminium nitrate before dissolving in water, in particular, gallium and aluminium are 100% miscible. Therefore, it’s not necessary to study the mixing procedure or synthesis route on the formation of yttrium doped boehmite nanostructures in this work. The effect of dopant yttrium, yttrium percentage, temperature and surfactant on the morphology and size of boehmite were systematically studied. Nanofibres were formed in all samples with varying doped Y% treated at 100ºC; large Y(OH)3 crystals were also formed at high doping Y percentage. Treatment at elevated temperatures resulted in remarkable changes in size and morphology for samples with the same doping Y content. The resultant yttrium doped boehmite nanostructures were characterized by TEM, XRD, EDX, SAED, N2 adsorption and TGA. • The synthesis of Gallium oxide hydroxide and gallium oxide with surfactant In this study, the growth of gallium oxide hydroxide under various hydrothermal conditions in the presence of different types of surfactants was systematically studied. Nano- to micro-sized gallium oxide hydroxide was prepared. The effect of surfactant and synthesis procedure on the morphology of the resultant gallium oxide hydroxide was studied. β-gallium oxide nanorods were derived from gallium oxide hydroxide by calcination at 900ºC and the initial morphology was retained. γ-gallium oxide nanotubes up to 65 nm in length, with internal and external diameters of around 0.8 and 3.0 nm, were synthesized directly in solution with and without surfactant. The resultant nano- to micro-sized structures were characterized by XRD, TEM, SAED, EDX and N2 adsorption. • The synthesis of gallium oxide hydroxide without surfactant The aim of this study is to explore a green synthesis route for the preparation of gallium oxide hydroxide or gallium oxide via hydrothermal treatment at low temperature. Micro to nano sized GaOOH nanorods and particles were prepared under varying hydrothermal conditions without any surfactant. The resultant GaOOH nanomaterials were characterized by XRD, TEM, SAED, EDX, TG and FT-IR. The growth mechanism of GaOOH crystals was proposed.

Cette thèse est consacrée à l’élaboration de cellules photovoltaïques hybrides solides sensibilisées à colorant, composées d’une couche dense de germes de ZnO recouverte de nanobâtonnets de ZnO sensibilisés par un colorant et infiltrés par du spiro-OMeTAD. La couche dense de germes de ZnO a été optimisée, afin qu’elle soit compacte, homogène et bien orientée. Les nanobâtonnets sont synthétisés par voie hydrothermale. L’influence de différents paramètres de synthèse sur la morphologie des nanobâtonnets a été testée. Deux méthodes permettant de modifier l’écart entre les nanobâtonnets ont également été mises au point. Les performances des cellules photovoltaïques varient en fonction de la longueur des nanobâtonnets, du colorant utilisé, de la durée de vieillissement des cellules à l’air, l’atmosphère, la température… Enfin, nous avons réussi à obtenir un rendement dépassant 1%, ce qui est supérieur à la meilleure performance publiée actuellement (0,25%) pour le même type de dispositif. / This thesis deals with solid state dye sensitized solar cells in which dye sensitized ZnO nanorods are associated with spiro-OMeTAD (solid hole conductor). Nanorods are grown on the top of a dense ZnO seed layer. The growth of a dense, homogeneous and well oriented layer is achieved after optimization of the deposition procedure. ZnO nanorods are obtained after submitting the dense ZnO layer to an hydrothermal treatment. The nanorods morphology evolution with reactants concentration, reaction temperature and time,… was determined. The solar cells performances depend also on the nanorods length, the type of dye, the cell ageing time in air, the atmosphere and the cell temperature…The best performance published nowadays (0.25%) for our type of photovoltaic devices is really inferior to the 1% efficiency we obtained.

The reversible and topotactic insertion of guest species within layered host lattices, known as intercalation is a widely studied phenomena. The Layered Double Hydroxides (LDHs) or Anionic Alloys are important class of layered solids with its own distinct ion-exchange host-Guest Chemistry. The LDH structure may be derived from that of Brucite, Mg(OH)2, by random isomorphous substitution of Mg2+ ions by trivalent cations like Al3+, Ga3+ etc. This substitution leaves an excess positive charge on the layers, which is compensated by interlamellar anions. These ions are exchangeable and thus new functionalities can be introduced to ion exchange reactions. Insertion of neutral, non-polar or poorly water-soluble guest molecules remains a challenge. In the present study, two methodologies were adopted to extend the host-guest chemistry of LDHs to neutral and non-polar species, first by using Hydrophobic interaction and second, charge transfer (CT) interaction as driving force. Hlydrophobic interaction as driving force involves functionalization of the Mg-Al-LDH galleries as bilayers, thus covering the essentially hydrophilic interlamellar space of the LDH to one that is hydrophobic and able to solubilize neutral molecules like Anthracene. CT interaction as driving force, involves pre-functionalization of the galleries of the LDH with a donor species e.g. 4-aminobenzoic acid by conventional ion exchange methods to form a LDH-donor intercalated compound. This compound can selectively adsorb acceptor species like Chloranil, Tetracyanoquinodimethane etc. into the interlamellar space of the solid by forming donor-acceptor complexes. The confined donor-acceptor complexes have been characterized by X-Ray Diffraction, UV-Visible, Fourier Transformed Infra-Red and Raman Spectroscopy, Molecular Dynamics Simulations were able to reproduce the experimental results. One dimensional gold nanostructure like nanorods (AuNRs) have received great attention due to their size dependent optical properties, Extending these applications requires assembling the AuNRs into one-, two- and if possible three-dimensional architectures. Several approaches have been developed to assemble AuNRs in two-orientation modes namely end-to-end and side-to-side. The present study self-assembly of the AuNRs has been achieved by anchoring β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) cavities to the nanorods surface. The host-guest chemistry of β-CD has been exploited to assemble the AuNRs. Our strategy was to use a guest molecule that is capable to link β-CD into 1:2 host-guest fashions to link up two β-CD capped nanorods. The guest molecule chosen for the present study was 1,10-phenanthroline. Linkage between the ends of rods leading to V-shaped rods dimmer assembly and side-to-side assembly was achieved by varying the extent of cyclodextrin capping of the AuNRs followed by the addition of linker, 1,10-phenanthroline. The formation of the assembly was characterized using UV-Visible-Near-IR Spectoscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy.

Dans ce travail de thèse, le microscope à force atomique (AFM) a été utilisé comme outil de manipulation de haute précision pour construire des nanostructures plasmoniques avec des géométries définies et un réglage précis de la distance interparticulaire et également comme technique de spectroscopie d'absorption. Différentes études concernant les phénomènes pertinents pour la manipulation des nanoparticules et émergeant à l'interface substrat-nanoparticules, ont été réalisées. Des expériences de frottement menées sur diverses surfaces d'oxydes ont révélé un nouveau mécanisme de frottement à l’échelle nanométrique, expliqué par un modèle de potentiel d'interaction de type Lennard-Jones modifié. Les propriétés de frottement et d'adhésion de CTAB adsorbé sur silice sont également présentées. Des nano-bâtonnets d'or fonctionnalisés par du CTAB ont été manipulés par AFM afin de construire des nanostructures plasmoniques. La dernière partie de la thèse présente les efforts expérimentaux et théoriques pour démontrer la faisabilité de l'utilisation d'un AFM comme une technique de spectroscopie optoélectronique à base de force. / In this thesis work the atomic force microscope (AFM) was employed first as a high precision manipulation tool for building plasmonic nanostructures with defined geometries and precise tuning of interparticle distance and second as an absorption spectroscopy technique. Different studies regarding phenomena emerging at sample nanoparticle interface relevant for nanoparticle manipulation were performed. Friction experiments conducted on various oxide surfaces revealed a novel nanoscale stick slip friction mechanism, explained by a modified Lennard-Jones-like interaction potential model. Frictional and adhesion properties of CTAB adsorbed on silica are also reported. CTAB functionalized gold nanorods were used for building specific plasmonic particulate nanostructures. The final part of the thesis presents experimental and theoretical efforts to demonstrate the feasibility of using an AFM as a force-based optoelectronic spectroscopy technique.

This thesis deals with the research work carried out for the development of novel applications by integrating biomolecules with various nanostructures. The thesis is organized as follows: Chapter 1 reviews the properties of nanomaterials which are important to consider while developing them for various biological and other applications. It discusses the factors which affect the cytotoxicity of nanocrystals towards living cells, photocatalytic mechanisms of nanocrystals that work behind the inactivation of bacterial cells and gas sensing properties of nanocrystals. It also mentions about the integration of biomolecules with nanomaterials which is useful for the development of biosensors, materials that are presently used for fabricating biosensors and the challenges associated with designing successful biosensors. Chapter 2 presents the antibacterial and anticancer properties of ZnO/Ag nanohybids. In this study a simple route to synthesize ZnO/Ag nanohybrids by microwave synthesis has been established where ZnO/Ag nanohybrids have shown synergistic cytotoxicity towards mammalian cells. The observed synergism in the cytotoxicity of ZnO/Ag nanohybrids could lead to the development of low dose therapeutics for cancer treatment. Chapter 3 presents photocatalytic inactivation of bacterial cells by pentavalent bismuthates class of materials. AgBiO3 which was obtained from KBiO3 by ion-exchange method was investigated for its photocatalytic inactivation properties towards E.coli and S.aureus cells under dark and UV illumination conditions. Chapter 4 presents the integration of DNA molecules with ZnO nanorods for the observation of Mott-Gurney characteristics. In this study, ZnO nanorods were synthesized hydrothermally and were characterized by TEM and XRD analysis. DNA molecules were immobilized over ZnO nanorods which were confirmed by UV-Vis spectroscopy and confocal florescence microscopy. Solution processed devices were fabricated by using these DNA immobilized nanostructures and I-V characteristics of these devices were taken in dark and under illumination conditions at different wavelengths of light at fixed intensity. Interestingly, Mott-Gurney law was observed in the I-V characteristics of the devices fabricated using DNA immobilized ZnO nanorods. Chapter 5 presents the chemical synthesis of molecular scale ultrathin Au nanowires. These nanostructures were then used for fabricating electronic biosensors. In this study, the devices were fabricated over Au nanowires by e-beam lithography and a methodology to functionalize Au nanowires and then characterize them by florescence microscopy as well as AFM has been established. The fabricated biosensors were employed for the label free, electrical detection of DNA hybridization process. Chapter 6 presents a simple, cost effective and solution processed route to fabricate devices using ultrathin Au nanowires. The devices were then used for sensing ethanol, H2 and NH3. An important property of these devices is that they can sense these gases at room temperature which reduce their operation cost and makes them desirable to use under explosive conditions.

Sonder la matière en utilisant des nanoparticules luminescentes nécessite une compréhension de chaque processus pouvant modifier leurs propriétés optiques. Cette thèse se focalise sur l'influence de l'environnement diélectrique sur la luminescence de deux types de nanoobjets : (i) des boites quantiques colloïdales (QDs), et (ii) des nanobâtonnets d'or. L'objectif est d'évaluer les potentialités de ces nanostructures comme sondes locales de l'environnement diélectrique.L'évolution de la dynamique de relaxation de QDs dans différents environnements diélectriques est interprétée en terme d'indice de réfraction effectif local. Cette étude montre qu'une analyse détaillée de la sensibilité des QDs à l'environnement permet de les utiliser comme nanosondes biologiques d'indice de réfraction. Nous présentons également une nouvelle méthode pour l'encapsulation de QDs en matrice diélectrique solide, à travers le dépôt par laser pulsé. Les émetteurs peuvent être protégés par des films minces et subir des perturbations non-destructives et réversibles de leur environnement proche, à l'échelle de la particule unique, tout en analysant la dynamique de fluorescence. Finalement, la sensibilité de la résonance plasmon de nanobâtonnets d'or à l'approche d'une interface diélectrique est également sondée, puis comparée a celle des boites quantiques / Probing systems using luminescent nanoparticles requires the understanding of all the processes that influence the luminescence properties. This thesis focuses on the influence of the dielectric environment on the luminescence of two types of nanoparticles : (i) colloidal quantum dots (QDs), and (ii) gold nanorods. The aim of this work is to evaluate the potential of these nanostructures to act as local probes of the dielectric environment. The evolution of the relaxation dynamics of QDs in various dielectric media is interpreted in terms of local effective refractive index. This work shows that a detailed analysis of the sensitivity of the QDs to the environment allows their use as biological nanoprobes of refractive index. We furthermore present a new method for the encapsulation of QDs in a solid dielectric matrix, using pulsed laser deposition. The emitters can be incorporated in thin films and their local environment can be modified in a reversible and non-destructive way, while the emission dynamics is investigated at the single emitter level. Finally, the sensitivity of the surface plasmon resonance of gold nanorods to an approching dielectric interface is also studied, and compared to the one found for QDs

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD