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Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Nanomaterials: Gold Nanoshells with Organic- Inorganic Hybrid Cores

Gold nanoshells, a material generally composed of a core of silica surrounded by
a thin shell of gold, are of great interest due to their unique and tunable optical properties.
By varying the shell thickness and core size, the absorption and scattering properties are
greatly enhanced. The nanoshells can be made to absorb or scatter light at various
regions across the electromagnetic spectrum, from visible to the near infrared. The
ability to tune the optical properties of nanoshells allows for their potential use in many
different areas of research such as optical imaging, tumor ablation, drug delivery, and
solar energy conversion. The research in this thesis focused on the synthesis and
characterization of two novel gold nanoshell materials containing thermally-responsive,
organic-inorganic hybrid layers. One type of material was based on a two-layer particle
with a thermally responsive hybrid core of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM)
copolymerized with 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (MPS) that was then coated
with a thin layer of gold. The second material was a three-layer particle with a silica
core, a thermally responsive copolymer of NIPAM and MPS middle layer and an outer
shell of gold. Various techniques were used to characterize both materials. Transmission
electron microscopy (TEM) was used to image the particles and dynamic light scattering
(DLS) was used to determine particle size and the temperature response. Additionally,
UV-Vis spectroscopy was used to characterize the optical properties as a function of
temperature.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:USF/oai:scholarcommons.usf.edu:etd-4837
Date23 June 2010
CreatorsPeterson, Alisha D.
PublisherScholar Commons
Source SetsUniversity of South Flordia
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext
Formatapplication/pdf
SourceGraduate Theses and Dissertations
Rightsdefault

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