Control of Silicon Nanocrystal Optical Response through Fueled Dissipative Self-Assembly

This project aims to prepare a self-assembling and disassembling material from silicon and gold nanoparticles. The lifetime of this material is determined by the network of chemical reactions that control the assembly and disassembly of its constituents. The relative rates of these reactions, in turn, depend on the concentration of a chemical fuel. Silicon nanoparticles, though inherently luminescent, are expected to lose their luminescence when assembled with gold nanoparticles. Consequently, the material will luminesce in the disassembled state but will not in the assembled state. Thus, the optical (and electronic) behaviour of the prepared material, as well as its lifetime, can be tuned through careful manipulation of chemical fuel concentration. This affords an intelligent and responsive system that can be employed in applications where temporal and spatial control of material properties is critical, such as in self-healing electronics and smart drug delivery.

Faculty Supervisor:

Jonathan Veinot

Student:

Partner:

Technische Universität München (Garching)

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Alberta

Program: