Impacts of Metal-Ligand Interfacial Bonding Interactions on Nanoparticle Charge Transfer Dynamics

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With this award, the Chemical Structure, Dynamics, and Mechanisms Program supports Professor Shaowei Chen of the University of California-Santa Cruz in a project involving the synthesis and characterization of transition metal nanoparticles whose surface is capped by organic molecules covalently-bonded to the metal. The goal of the project is to provide increased understanding of electrical connectivity across the metal-organic junction in capped transition metal nanoparticles. To this end, a range of carbon-capped transition metal nanoparticles will be synthesized and studied in order to assess the effects of interfacial contacts, core size, and the structure of the organic ligand on nanoparticle electronic conductivity. These investigations will provide mechanistic insights into nanoparticle charge transfer dynamics that will impact a variety of applications including areas related to energy conversion, nanoelectronics, and catalysis. This project, which combines chemistry and material science, will train graduate and undergraduate students in the techniques of nanoscience to include the synthesis, characterization and manipulation of nanoparticles.