Quantitative Separation and Analysis of Nanoparticles and Hybrid Structures

本项目将开发分析分离方法，并将其应用于纳米颗粒和杂交颗粒结构的纯化、分析和研究。这项工作直接解决了理解多分散性在纳米材料功能中的作用的现有挑战；合成方法的可重复性；纯度定量；监测颗粒生长和反应化学。在杂化纳米晶体中，这些问题可能会变得更加复杂，包括杂二聚体、三聚体和低聚体颗粒，它们的合成越来越复杂，除了期望的产物外，还可能在反应混合物中形成多种物质。杂化纳米结构应用的兴趣和潜力日益增长，因此开发纯化和分析方法至关重要。这些主要挑战将通过应用和扩展差分磁捕获和释放（DMCR）来解决，以实现磁性纳米颗粒和异质结构的更高分辨率分离和分析，以及纳米颗粒化学转化、组装和形态变化的研究。电场分离工具将并行开发，使非磁性颗粒的净化和分析成为可能。这项工作解决了对分离小颗粒技术的关键需求，方法既定量又可扩展，并且报告了基本行为的差异。一个中心目标是开发和展示定量分离分析方法的实用性，用于新兴纳米技术的基础和应用领域的广泛颗粒。这些方法的成功演示将允许对纳米颗粒纯度进行定量评估和验证，这对于用于生物医学应用的纳米材料来说是非常需要的。参与该项目的学生将接触到纳米材料合成和表征的跨学科研究课题，学习应用广泛的方法，并与大学和全国的科学家和工程师进行互动。作为该项目的一部分，宾夕法尼亚州立大学的本科生将通过在化学227分析化学课程中加入新的分析分离实验来扩大教育机会。本课程将为学生开发和实施一个基于探究的开放式实验，该实验与本项目中纳米颗粒的分析分离有关。

In this project, analytical separation methods will be developed and applied to purify, analyze and study nanoparticles and hybrid particle structures. This work directly addresses existing challenges of understanding the role of polydispersity in nanomaterial function; reproducibility of synthetic methods; quantification of purity; and monitoring particle growth and reaction chemistry. These problems are potentially compounded in hybrid nanocrystals, including hetero-dimer, -trimer, and -oligomer particles, which are made by increasingly complex syntheses that have the potential to form multiple species in the reaction mixture in addition to the desired product. Growing interest and broad potential for use of hybrid nanostructures make it essential to develop methods for their purification and analysis. These major challenges will be addressed by applying and extending differential magnetic catch and release (DMCR) for higher resolution separation and analysis of magnetic nanoparticles and heterostructures, and for studies of nanoparticle chemical transformations, assembly, and morphology changes. Electric field separation tools will be developed in parallel, enabling the purification and analysis of non-magnetic particles. This proposed work addresses the critical need for techniques to separate small particles, in approaches that are both quantitative and scalable, and which report on differences in fundamental behavior. A central goal is to develop and demonstrate the utility of quantitative separative analysis methodologies for a broad range of particles for both fundamental and applied areas of emerging nanotechnologies. Successful demonstration of these methods will allow quantitative assessment and validation of nanoparticle purity, which is critically needed in particular for nanomaterials intended for biomedical applications. Students working on this project are exposed to interdisciplinary research topics in nanomaterials synthesis and characterization, learn to apply a wide range of methodologies, and interact with scientists and engineers across the University and nation. As part of this project, Penn State undergraduates will have expanded educational opportunities by the incorporation of a new analytical separation experiment in the Chemistry 227 Analytical Chemistry course. An inquiry based, open-ended experiment that relates to the analytical separation of nanoparticles in this project will be developed and implemented for the students in this course.