Surface functionalization of inorganic nanostructures: The interface of materials science and the environment.

摘要

With increased demands on natural and economic resources, society has increasingly looked toward science and technology to provide new ways to meet the ever increasing demands of our modern world. The development of nanoscale science and engineering has promised new chemistry and physics at small length scales which may lead to improved efficiencies and new technologies. This thesis will explore some of the ways that chemistry can be used to control the chemical and physical properties of inorganic structures on the nanoscale. In particular, surface initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and new techniques for the selective etching of silver nanostructures will be presented. Furthermore, these chemical techniques will be applied to the development of functional materials to address environmentally relevant applications. For example, control over polymerization at the nanoscale was used to develop nanostructured battery membranes, towards the development of a solid polymer electrolyte for lithium ion batteries. Additionally, assembly and selective etching of silver particles was used to develop surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates for sensing of environmental contaminants. These SERS based sensors were used for the detection of arsenic in groundwater samples, demonstrating their utility for environmental applications.