A strategy based on reticulating metal ions and organic ligands into atomically precise gold and silver nanoclusters (NCs) with high monodispersity has been advanced to a point that allows the design of NCs with strict stoichiometries, functionalities and valence. Of the Ag NCs discovered, Ag44 is the most studied, not only due to its high absorption that transcends the visible spectrum suitable for photovoltaics but also because of its long excited state lifetime, as revealed by nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. A major principle discovered in this dissertation is the ability to produce Ag44 in scalable amounts and with high stability in addition to modulation of the functional groups of the organic ligands via a fast and complete ligand exchange process. This new discovery has led to the development of synthetic designs in which new sizes were obtained by varying the reaction parameters (e.g., ligands functionality, reaction temperature and time), namely, Ag29 using dithiols and phosphines. The synthesized NCs possess tetravalent functionalities that facilitate their crystallization and characterization. Furthermore, Ag29 glows red and is therefore a possible candidate for sensing and imaging applications.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Metal nanostructures exhibit a wide variety of interesting physical and chemical properties, which can be tailored by altering their size, morphology, composition, and environment. Gold and silver nanostructures have received considerable attention for many decades because of their widespread use in applications such as catalysis, photonics, electronics, optoelectronics, information storage, chemical and biological sensing, surface plasmon resonance and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection. This thesis is composed of three main parts about the synthesis, characterization and SERS applications of shape-controlled and surface modified noble metal nanoparticles. The first part is related to a simple synthesis of shape controlled solid gold, hollow gold, silver, gold-silver core-shell, hollow gold-silver double-shell nanoparticles by applying aqueous solution chemistry. Nanoparticles obtained were used for SERS detection of dye molecules like brilliant cresyl blue (BCB) and crystal violet (CV) in aqueous system. v The second part involves the synthesis of surface modified silver nanoparticles for the detection of dopamine (DA) molecules. Determination of a dopamine molecule attached to a iron-nitrilotriaceticacid modified silver (Ag-Fe(NTA)) nanoparticles by using surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) was achieved. The Ag-Fe (NTA) substrate provided reproducibility and excellent sensitivity. Experimental results showed that DA was detected quickly and accurately without any pretreatment in nM levels with excellent discrimination against ascorbic acid (AA) (which was among the lowest value reported in direct SERS detection of DA). In the third part, a lanthanide series ion (Eu3+) containing silver nanoparticle was prepared for constructing a molecular recognition SERS substrate for the first time. The procedure reported herein, provides a simple way of achieving reproducible and sensitive SERS spectroscopy for organophosphates (OPP) detection. The sensing of the target species was confirmed by the appearance of an intense SERS signal of the methyl phosphonic acid (MPA), a model compound for nonvolatile organophosphate nerve agents, which bound to the surface of the Ag-Eu3+ nanostructure. The simplicity and low cost of the overall process makes this procedure a potential candidate for analytical control processes of nerve agents.

New challenges in nanotechnology arise in the assembly of nanoobjects into three-dimensional superstructures, which may carry synergetic properties and open up new application fields. Within this new class of materials nanostructured, porous functional metals are of great interest since they combine high surface area, gas permeability, electrical conductivity, plasmonic behavior and size-enhanced catalytic reactivity. Even though a large variety of preparation pathways for the fabrication of porous noble metals has already been established, several limitations are still to be addressed by research developments. The new and versatile approach that is presented in this work makes use of a templatefree self-assembly process for the fabrication of highly porous, metallic nanostructures. Thereby, nanochains are formed by the controlled coalescence of noble metal NPs in aqueous media and their interconnection and interpenetration leads to the formation of a self-supported network with macroscopic dimensions. Subsequently, the supercritical drying technique is used to remove the solvent from the pores of the network without causing a collapse of the fragile structure. The resulting highly porous, low-weighted, three-dimensional nanostructured solids are named aerogels. The exceptional properties of these materials originate from the conjunction of the unique properties of nanomaterials magnified by macroscale assembly. Moreover, the combination of different metals may lead to synergetic effects regarding for example their catalytic activity. Therefore, the synthesis of multimetallic gels and the characterization of their structural peculiarities are in the focus of the investigations. In the case of the developed preparation pathways the gelation process starts from preformed, stable colloidal solutions of citrate capped, spherical noble metal (Au, Ag, Pt, Pd) NPs. In order to face various requirements several methods for the initiation of the controlled destabilization and coalescence of the nanosized building blocks were developed and synthesis conditions were optimized, respectively. Multimetallic structures with tunable composition are obtained by mixing different kinds of monometallic NP solutions and performing a joint gel formation. The characterization of the resulting materials by means of electron microscopy reveals the formation of a highly porous network of branched nanochains that provide a polycrystalline nature and diameters in the size range of the initial NPs. Furthermore, synthesis conditions for the spontaneous gel formation of glucose stabilized Au and Pd NPs were investigated. In order to gain a detailed knowledge of the structural properties of bimetallic aerogel structures a versatile set of characterization techniques was applied. A broad pore size distribution dominated by meso- and macropores and remarkably high inner surface areas were concluded from the N2 physisorption isotherms and density measurements. As investigated, a specific thermal treatment could be used to tune the ligament size of Au-Ag aerogels, whereas Au-Pd and Pt-Pd structures provide thermal stability under mild conditions. Further investigations aimed to the enlightenment of the elemental distribution and phase composition within the nanochains of multimetallic gel structures. The different approaches provide complementary and consistent results. Phase analyses based on XRD measurements revealed separated phases of each metal in the case of Ag-Pd and Au-Pd aerogels. They further proved the possibility of temperature induced phase modifications that lead to complete alloying of Au and Pd. In addition, separated domains of Pt and Pd were established from the EXAFS analysis of the corresponding aerogel. STEM EDX high resolution elemental mappings confirmed the separated domains of different metals in the case of Au-Pd and Pt-Pd aerogels. Moreover, a complete interdiffusion and alloy formation of Au and Ag within the corresponding aerogel structure is suggested from STEM EDX results. Finally, the presented investigations further promote the field of metallic aerogels by addressing the challenging issue of processability and device fabrication. Hybrid materials with organic polymers as well as various kinds of coatings on glass substrates and glassy carbon electrodes were prepared whereas the network structure was preserved throughout all processing steps. Moreover, it was illustrated that the NP-based aerogels carry metallic properties as expressed by their low Seebeck coefficients and high electrical conductivities.

No description available.

The thesis consists of four parts of which part 1 presents a brief overview of nanomaterials. Parts 2, 3 and 4 contain results of investigations of graphene, nanofilms of noble metal nanoparticles and ZnO nanostructures respectively. Investigations of graphene are described in Part 2 which consists of six chapters. In Chapter 2.1, changes in the electronic structure and properties of graphene induced by molecular charge-transfer have been discussed. Chapter 2.2 deals with the results of a study of the interaction of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles with graphene. Electrical and dielectric properties of graphene-polymer composites are presented in Chapter 2.3. Chapter 2.4 presents photo-thermal effects observed in laser-induced chemical transformations in graphene and other nanocarbons system. Chapter 2.5 describes the mechanical properties of polymer matrix composites reinforced by fewlayer graphene investigated by nano-indentation. The extraordinary synergy found in the mechanical properties of polymer matrix composites reinforced with two nanocarbons of different dimensionalities constitute the subject matter of Chapter 2.6. Investigations of noble metal nanoparticles have been described in Part 3. In Chapter 3.1, ferromagnetism exhibited by nanoparticles of noble metals is discussed in detail while Chapter 3.2 deals with surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of molecules adsorbed on nanocrystalline Au and Ag films formed at the organic–aqueous interface. Factors affecting laser-excited photoluminescence from ZnO nanostructures are examined in great detail in Part 4.

New challenges in nanotechnology arise in the assembly of nanoobjects into three-dimensional superstructures, which may carry synergetic properties and open up new application fields. Within this new class of materials nanostructured, porous functional metals are of great interest since they combine high surface area, gas permeability, electrical conductivity, plasmonic behavior and size-enhanced catalytic reactivity. Even though a large variety of preparation pathways for the fabrication of porous noble metals has already been established, several limitations are still to be addressed by research developments. The new and versatile approach that is presented in this work makes use of a templatefree self-assembly process for the fabrication of highly porous, metallic nanostructures. Thereby, nanochains are formed by the controlled coalescence of noble metal NPs in aqueous media and their interconnection and interpenetration leads to the formation of a self-supported network with macroscopic dimensions. Subsequently, the supercritical drying technique is used to remove the solvent from the pores of the network without causing a collapse of the fragile structure. The resulting highly porous, low-weighted, three-dimensional nanostructured solids are named aerogels. The exceptional properties of these materials originate from the conjunction of the unique properties of nanomaterials magnified by macroscale assembly. Moreover, the combination of different metals may lead to synergetic effects regarding for example their catalytic activity. Therefore, the synthesis of multimetallic gels and the characterization of their structural peculiarities are in the focus of the investigations. In the case of the developed preparation pathways the gelation process starts from preformed, stable colloidal solutions of citrate capped, spherical noble metal (Au, Ag, Pt, Pd) NPs. In order to face various requirements several methods for the initiation of the controlled destabilization and coalescence of the nanosized building blocks were developed and synthesis conditions were optimized, respectively. Multimetallic structures with tunable composition are obtained by mixing different kinds of monometallic NP solutions and performing a joint gel formation. The characterization of the resulting materials by means of electron microscopy reveals the formation of a highly porous network of branched nanochains that provide a polycrystalline nature and diameters in the size range of the initial NPs. Furthermore, synthesis conditions for the spontaneous gel formation of glucose stabilized Au and Pd NPs were investigated. In order to gain a detailed knowledge of the structural properties of bimetallic aerogel structures a versatile set of characterization techniques was applied. A broad pore size distribution dominated by meso- and macropores and remarkably high inner surface areas were concluded from the N2 physisorption isotherms and density measurements. As investigated, a specific thermal treatment could be used to tune the ligament size of Au-Ag aerogels, whereas Au-Pd and Pt-Pd structures provide thermal stability under mild conditions. Further investigations aimed to the enlightenment of the elemental distribution and phase composition within the nanochains of multimetallic gel structures. The different approaches provide complementary and consistent results. Phase analyses based on XRD measurements revealed separated phases of each metal in the case of Ag-Pd and Au-Pd aerogels. They further proved the possibility of temperature induced phase modifications that lead to complete alloying of Au and Pd. In addition, separated domains of Pt and Pd were established from the EXAFS analysis of the corresponding aerogel. STEM EDX high resolution elemental mappings confirmed the separated domains of different metals in the case of Au-Pd and Pt-Pd aerogels. Moreover, a complete interdiffusion and alloy formation of Au and Ag within the corresponding aerogel structure is suggested from STEM EDX results. Finally, the presented investigations further promote the field of metallic aerogels by addressing the challenging issue of processability and device fabrication. Hybrid materials with organic polymers as well as various kinds of coatings on glass substrates and glassy carbon electrodes were prepared whereas the network structure was preserved throughout all processing steps. Moreover, it was illustrated that the NP-based aerogels carry metallic properties as expressed by their low Seebeck coefficients and high electrical conductivities.

Zur Darstellung von Edelmetallnanopartikelüberstrukturen werden zunächst kolloidale Lösungen von Gold, Silber, Platin und Palladium synthetisiert. Dafür wird eine modifizierte Syntheseprozedur für Citrat stabilisierte Goldnanopartikel in wässriger Lösung unter Verwendung gleicher Konzentrationen auf die Systeme Silber, Platin und Palladium übertragen. Die Nanopartikellösungen werden mittels Absorptionsspektroskopie und Elektronenmikroskopie in mittlerer und hoher Auflösung charakterisiert. Die Platinnanopartikel werden verwendet, um mittels Keim vermitteltem Wachstum größere Platinnanopartikel darzustellen. Die resultierenden annähernd sphärischen Partikel haben eine sehr enge Größenverteilung mit einer Standardabweichung von drei bis sieben Prozent. Mit bis zu zwei Schritten des Keim vermittelten Wachstums können Partikel mit einem mittleren Durchmesser im Bereich von 10 bis 100 Nanometern hergestellt werden. Hochauflösende Elektronenmikroskopie zeigt, dass die Oberfläche der Partikel aus Platinkristalliten mit Durchmessern weniger Nanometer besteht, was zu einer Oberflächenrauhigkeit von drei bis zehn Nanometern führt. Mittels eines Kern-Schale-Modells werden Einzelteilchenextinktionsspektren berechnet, welche in sehr guter Übereinstimmung mit den experimentell bestimmten Extinktionsspektren des dispergierten Ensembles sind. Eine über weite Bereiche des sichtbaren Spektralbereichs lineare Abhängigkeit des Extinktionsmaximums vom Partikeldurchmesser wird beobachtet. Dadurch und zusammen mit der Einheitlichkeit der synthetisierten Platinsphären eröffnen sich Anwendungsmöglichkeiten im Bereich der Photonik, der Nanooptik und der oberflächenverstärkten Ramanspektroskopie. Geordnete Überstrukturen der Edelmetallnanopartikel können durch Infiltrieren von Templaten aus Block-Copolymer-Filmen mit wässriger Nanopartikellösung synthetisiert werden. In Abhängigkeit von der Vorbehandlung der Polymerfilme werden entweder zweidimensional periodische Anordnungen mit einer Periodizität von weniger als 30 Nanometern oder Fingerabdruck ähnliche Anordnungen mit einem Rillenabstand im selben Größenbereich hergestellt. Durch Entfernen des Polymers entstehen ein- bzw. zweidimensionale Anordnungen aus Platinnanodrähten bzw. -Nanopartikeln auf einem Siliziumwafer. Diese hochgeordneten Strukturen sind von fundamentalem Interesse für die Entwicklung von nanometerskaligen Schaltkreisen, Sensoren und als Substrate für die oberflächenverstärkte Ramanspektroskopie. Für die Herstellung ungeordneter Überstrukturen werden zwei unterschiedliche Ansätze gewählt: direkte Destabilisierung von Nanopartikellösungen, welche zu Hydrogelen und durch Trocknung zu Aerogelen führt, und Immobilisierung von Nanopartikeln auf einem in die Lösung implantierten Pilzmycel. Aus Gold-, Silber- und Platinnanopartikeln werden monometallische Hydro- und Aerogele synthetisiert. Unterschiedliche Destabilisierungsmittel sowie unterschiedliche Methoden zur Aufkonzentration der Nanopartikellösungen werden getestet. Abhängig von der Methode werden gelartige Überstrukturen mit teilweise komplexen Morphologien aus hierarchischen Anordnungen von Primär-, Sekundär-, Tertiärpartikeln beobachtet. Bimetallische Hydro- und Aerogele können aus Mischungen von Gold- oder Platin- mit Silbernanopartikellösungen hergestellt werden. Hochauflösende TEM-Aufnahmen zeigen ein polykristallines Netzwerk aus 2 bis 10 Nanometer dicken Drähten. Erste BET-Messungen zeigen, dass die Gold-Silber-Netzwerke eine Oberfläche von etwa 48 m2/g besitzen. Diese Systeme aus monometallischen und bimetallischen Nanopartikeln stellen erste Ansätze für hochporöse templatfreie Hydro- und Aerogele dar und besitzen großes Potential für den Einsatz in der heterogenen Gasphasenkatalyse, da fast die gesamte Oberfläche aus Übergangsmetall besteht. Es wird für eine Auswahl an unterschiedlichen Pilzen gezeigt, dass deren Wachstum direkt in den synthetisierten Nanopartikellösungen möglich ist. Ohne weitere Funktionalisierung findet eine Anlagerung von Nanopartikeln auf der Pilzoberfläche statt. Starke Variationen in den Affnitäten verschiedener Pilze zu den unterschiedlichen Metallnanopartikeln werden beobachtet. Auch werden Unterschiede der Nanopartikelaffnität mit Variation der Morphologie innerhalb desselben Hybridsystems beobachtet. Ein Platin-Pilz-Hybrid wird in wässriger Lösung erfolgreich als Katalysator einer Redoxreaktion getestet. Solche Hybridstrukturen besitzen ebenso wie die oben beschriebenen Aerogele großes Potential für den Einsatz in der heterogenen Katalyse, wobei die Verwendung von Pilzmycel als Trägermaterial eine kostengünstige Darstellung größerer Katalysatormengen ermöglichen könnte.