Presenter(s): Makenna Pennel
Faculty Mentor(s): Jim Hutchison & Kenyon Plummer
Poster 25
Session: Sciences
Nanoparticles have led to incredible technological advances and continue to revolutionize the world around us. In order to pursue novel forms and enhanced synthetic control of these particles, however, we need a fundamental understanding of the growth processes involved. The concept of flux— in this context, the rate at which new material (monomer) adds to a growing particle— is one factor that has remained elusive with traditional synthetic routes. Using a novel slow-injection, continuous growth method developed by the Hutchison lab, we were able to study flux and its influence on the morphology (appearance) of indium oxide nanocrystals, as visualized with transmission electron microscopy. It was found that high flux conditions resulted in relatively branched particle morphologies, while relatively lower flux resulted in cubic particles. We tested several growth mechanisms to explain these observations in the context of different temperatures, and from these experiments, developed a model for nanocrystal growth involving diffusion of monomer across the crystal surface and attachment at reactive edge sites. Our group then utilized this model and the principles of flux to alter the morphology of preexisting particles. The importance of flux during nanoparticle growth, as demonstrated in this study, has far-reaching synthetic implications and should be a consideration in future inquiries.