Electrospray deposition A route to functional nanomaterials

Abstract

Nanomaterials are becoming increasingly important in the growth prosperity security and quality of human life The high surfacetovolume ratio along with size effects quantum effects gives the nanoscale materials distinctively different properties chemical electronic optical magnetic and mechanical from those of bulk They have made massive impact in the fields of environmental science advanced manufacturing renewable and sustainable energy healthcare biotechnology aerospace and transport information technology etc Therefore it is essential to synthesize materials with exciting and distinctive properties The present thesis focuses on utilizing electrospray deposition to produce a variety of nanomaterials with exciting optical and electronic properties The nanomaterials synthesized include diverse luminescent nanomaterials anisotropic nanostructures molecular alloy and disclosing their applications in sensing bioimaging and white light emission newlineIn chapter three we have demonstrated an ambient electrospray technique to synthesize these protein protected luminescent clusters of gold Au and silver Ag within a time scale of few milliseconds Synthesis of these clusters in microdroplets leads to multifold enhancement in the rate of the reaction Spectroscopic investigations such as optical absorption transmission electron microscopy TEM matrixassisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry MALDI MS etc confirms the molecular nature of these particles Origin of luminescence in the microdroplets is proven by measuring distancedependent luminescence which increases with the increase in distance The formation of clusters via electrospray affects the secondary structure of a protein and its conformation is different from that of the solution phase as well as from the parent protein AuBSA cluster is utilized for in vitro imaging of Retinoblastoma NCC Rb51 cells as a part of the biological application newlineChapter four describes the formation of different morphology of the same metal when electrosprayed under different conditi