Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
Mount Allison University
$24,000.00
Understanding and exploiting ligand-driven nanoparticle interfacial phenomena
FY 2019-20
Summary
How nanoparticles (NPs) interact with their environment is a question that lies at the heart of many of our most promising potential nanotechnologies: from designing and predicting safe and effective use of NPs within living systems, to forming stretchable or self-healing films and composites, to assembling nanoparticles into superstructures for next generation solar cells, LEDs, and other applications. Nanoparticles present a complex interface through which they can interact with their environment, and this complexity arises from variety of possible NP core shapes and sizes which in turn define the available surface chemistry and the physical properties of the nanoparticle coating. Within the great variety of synthetically-available nanoparticle systems, thiol-capped gold nanoparticles are among the most thoroughly studied. Despite this fact, there remain many fundamental questions regarding how NPs behave in different environmental conditions (i.e. what makes a “good solvent” good? How can this influence how NPs interact with biological membranes?). Such questions are central to the counter-intuitive trends often observed in the physical properties (solubility and self-assembly) previously observed in these systems.***This research program will improve our understanding of the physical properties (mixing) of a model nanoparticle system consisting of spherical thiol-capped gold nanoparticles of various gold core sizes and thiol capping layer densities. We aim to achieve insights that can be applied to nanoparticles in general, and subsequently will be used to study more complex nanoparticle systems consisting of mixed capping layers consisting of two types of ligands (hydrophobic/philic) as well rod-shaped nanoparticles. By controlling interfacial parameters (temperature, solvation affinity to the oil or water phase), we will clarify some of the key nanoparticle properties in different environments and establish much needed guidelines for designing nanoparticles for a given application.
Program
Discovery Grants Program - Individual
Recipient
Location
New Brunswick, Canada
Recipient Type
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
As published
Application id
RGPIN-2018-06594
Name nom
Meli, Vicki
Department département
Chemistry & Biochemistry
Organization id
74
Institution établissement
Mount Allison University
Province en
New Brunswick
Province fr
Nouveau-Brunswick
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2019
Competition year année de concours
2018
Award amount
24000
Program id
RGPIN
Program name en
Discovery Grants Program - Individual
Program name fr
Programme de subventions à la découverte - individuelles
Group en
DISCOVERY RESEARCH
Group fr
RECHERCHE AXÉE SUR LA DÉCOUVERTE
Committee code
1504
Committee name en
Chemistry
Committee name fr
Chimie
Area of application code
1200
Area of application group en
Advancement of knowledge
Area of application group fr
Avancement des connaissances
Area of application en
Advancement of knowledge
Area of application fr
Avancement des connaissances
Research subject code
3402
Research subject group en
Physical chemistry
Research subject group fr
Chimie physique
Research subject en
Surface and interfacial chemistry
Research subject fr
Chimie des surfaces et des interfaces
Installment
inst:2 - 5
Partie
2
Nb partie
5
Application title
Understanding and exploiting ligand-driven nanoparticle interfacial phenomena
Keyword
NSERC
Application summary
How nanoparticles (NPs) interact with their environment is a question that lies at the heart of many of our most promising potential nanotechnologies: from designing and predicting safe and effective use of NPs within living systems, to forming stretchable or self-healing films and composites, to assembling nanoparticles into superstructures for next generation solar cells, LEDs, and other applications. Nanoparticles present a complex interface through which they can interact with their environment, and this complexity arises from variety of possible NP core shapes and sizes which in turn define the available surface chemistry and the physical properties of the nanoparticle coating. Within the great variety of synthetically-available nanoparticle systems, thiol-capped gold nanoparticles are among the most thoroughly studied. Despite this fact, there remain many fundamental questions regarding how NPs behave in different environmental conditions (i.e. what makes a “good solvent” good? How can this influence how NPs interact with biological membranes?). Such questions are central to the counter-intuitive trends often observed in the physical properties (solubility and self-assembly) previously observed in these systems.***This research program will improve our understanding of the physical properties (mixing) of a model nanoparticle system consisting of spherical thiol-capped gold nanoparticles of various gold core sizes and thiol capping layer densities. We aim to achieve insights that can be applied to nanoparticles in general, and subsequently will be used to study more complex nanoparticle systems consisting of mixed capping layers consisting of two types of ligands (hydrophobic/philic) as well rod-shaped nanoparticles. By controlling interfacial parameters (temperature, solvation affinity to the oil or water phase), we will clarify some of the key nanoparticle properties in different environments and establish much needed guidelines for designing nanoparticles for a given application.
