This thesis is devoted to the development of microfluidic processes for the controlled self-assembly of quantum dot compound micelles (QDCMs). Microfluidic processes are developed to combine the constituents (cadmium sulfide quantum dots, and block copolymer stabilizing chains) with water to facilitate self-assembly of the composite particles, QDCMs, through initial phase separation, subsequent growth, and eventual quenching. Two genres of microfluidic reactors are developed. The on-chip evolution of QDCM formation and growth is resolved through fluorescence microscopy; QDCM size distributions and associated statistics are determined through off-chip analysis by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In a flow-focusing reactor, control over the mean size of QDCMs is demonstrated through both the water concentration and the growth time (or reactor channel length). Controlled QDCM self-assembly is also demonstrated in a multiphase gas-liquid reactor. In contrast to the flow-focusing reactor, increasing the multiphase reactor channel length results in a decrease in QDCM size and polydispersity.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVIV.1828/206 |
| Date | 27 August 2007 |
| Creators | Schabas, Greg |
| Contributors | Sinton, David |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | Available to the World Wide Web |
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