Presenter: Alexia Smith
Co-Presenters: Susan Cooper, Jim Hutchison, Darren Johnson
Faculty Mentor: Darren Johnson, Susan Cooper
Presentation Type: Oral
Primary Research Area: Science
Major: Chemistry
Funding Source: Presidential Undergraduate Research Scholarship, University of Oregon, $5000
Nanoparticles have been studied for decades due to their optical, chemical, and magnetic properties, leading to a vast array of applications from nanocatalysts to contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging. Nanoparticles are simply small-scale particles ranging from 1-100 nm in size, roughly the size of the tip of a sewing needle. The given size of nanoparticle plays an important role in their application, as many nanoparticles have size-dependent properties. In particular, magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles offer promise in technological applications such as magnetic inks or precursors for magnetic media devices. In order to effectively synthesize selectively-sized, monodisperse iron oxide nanoparticles, an understanding of their growth mechanisms is necessary. Currently, the parameters to produce selective iron oxide nanoparticles are extensive and each approach has its complications. The synthesis of nanoparticles has been studied extensively in the Hutchison lab in order to understand how to optimize their chemistry, size, and structure. Recent work has shown that a slow-injection synthesis versus a hot injection synthesis produces more monodisperse particles and is a greener method of synthesis. Additionally, particle size is directly related to synthesis temperature, and increases linearly as temperature increases. Many other conditions have been tested to see how the growth of particles is affected: air flow, environment, glassware, precursor used, and volume. Understanding these specific parameters enables synthesis selectivity in order to optimize the nanoparticle size desired for a given application.