The effects of volumetric size-control
techniques on the photoinduced conversion
of silver colloids to triangular nanoprisms
were examined. It was hoped that through
the application of size-control techniques
on photocatalyzed reactions, a new method
of controlling particle dimensions could
be established. Initial work focused on
optimizing the synthesis procedure in...
The use of a variable resistor-capacitor
(RC) bridge circuit was previously reported
to be a viable solution to the spurious
contribution of fringe capacitance during
nanoscale impedance microscopy (NIM).
In this paper, a refinement of this technique
combined with standard NIM is presented
as an impedance characterization tool for
organic...
The need to improve sensing technology for
widespread application in everyday life is
fueling the development of diffraction-based
sensing, an optical sensing technique.
Selectivity and sensitivity issues must first
be resolved. Both selectivity and sensitivity
can be increased by using resonance conditions
— that is, using a probe wavelength
where...
Many studies have focused on harnessing
the extraordinary optical properties of
noble metal nanoparticles for the development
of biological and chemical nanosensors.
Metallic nanoparticles emulate
surface roughness, facilitating the coupling
of light to surface plasmon polaritons. The
excitation of the plasmons enhances the
electromagnetic field near the surface so
that...
The aim of this research was to investigate
the use of atomic force microscopy (AFM)
for the high-resolution imaging of collagen
fibers in aqueous media. Collagen plays a
vital role in many processes in vivo, especially
in structural integrity, yet few studies
have used AFM to investigate the structure
of...
This project involved the study of Brownian
motion of polystyrene microspheres in the
presence of gravity and a one-dimensional
sinusoidal optical potential generated by
the interference of two laser beams. An
exponential relationship was observed
between applied laser power and particle
residence time of individual interference
fringes. Increasing laser power...
In this study, ligands modified to contain
a metal ion were synthesized and their
electrochemical properties were examined
alone and in the presence of a protein. We
chose to use avidin and biotin as a model
system. Probes have been developed in
which biotin is modified to coordinate to
a...
This work exploits the use of noble metal
nanoparticles to achieve sensitive and
selective detection of chemical and
biological analytes. The localized surface
plasmon resonance (LSPR) of these metal
nanoparticles is known to be sensitive to
shape, size, and the local environment.
Ag nanoparticles fabricated using the
nanosphere lithography (NSL)...
In this experiment, the optical properties
of several spherical nanoparticles were
observed. Particles were modeled using
Mie theory, a set of equations that calculate
the extinction coefficient of virtually any
spherical particle. Initially this theory was
used to model solid particles made of noble
metals. As time passed, its scope...
Weak interactions in ligand-receptor
pairs are important in biological systems.
However, the energetics of these interactions
are often difficult to quantify for ligandreceptor
pairs. Weak interactions are a part
of reorganization energy, which plays a role
in electron transfer reactions. Under certain
conditions the rate of electron transfer
can be...