CAREER: Surface Chemistry-Controlled Formation of Colloidal Nanoparticle Alloys

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The Macromolecular, Supramolecular, and Nanochemistry (MSN) program of the Division of Chemistry will support the CAREER research and education program of Prof. Jill Millstone at the University of Pittsburgh. Prof. Millstone and her students will develop surface-chemistry driven methods for preparing a broad range of transition and noble metal nanoparticle alloys. These alloys exhibit unique optical, magnetic, and catalytic behaviors that make them attractive for technologies ranging from near-infrared (NIR) imaging to heterogeneous catalysis. Prof. Millstone and her students will investigate the impact of particle-ligand interactions, intermolecular ligand forces, and solvent-ligand chemistry to tune both the atomic composition and atom distribution throughout the nanoparticle. The role of ligand species will be tracked by combining standard nanoparticle analysis techniques such as electron microscopy with classic molecular characterization approaches such as nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), where NMR allows one to simultaneously acquire detailed information about both nanoparticle surface and ligand environments. Successful completion of the proposed study will introduce a synthetic framework that bridges molecular and bulk descriptions of alloy formation and provides a straightforward, sustainable route to a previously inaccessible class of homogeneous-alloy nanostructures. These well-defined architectures then provide promising platforms for applications ranging from fossil fuel conversion to cancer detection. The CAREER educational plans of Prof. Millstone focus on the development of a Wikipedia-style website devoted to nanochemistry. This website will act as a "living" resource for a broad community of students and faculty who are interested in learning, teaching, or performing nanomaterial synthesis but who have limited access to the expertise necessary to begin their involvement productively.