Precise morphological control of nanoparticles (NPs) has been impeded by the lack of in situ techniques enabling the observation of instantaneous growth steps. Fundamentally, understanding in NP nucleation and growth kinetics has yet to achieve. In the present research, morphological characterization is demonstrated using a novel image detection statistical approach for gold NPs. This multivari...

The conformation of cross-linked, monomolecular, polystyrene nanoparticles on a solid substrate is considered as a function of cross-linking degree and substrate surface free energy. It is found that an extreme amount of cross-linking is necessary for the ca. 5-10 nm diameter nanoparticles to retain their original spherical shape, regardless of surface free energy. A lesser amount of cross-link...

Nanoparticles assemble at the interface between two fluids into disordered, liquid-like arrays where the nanoparticles can diffuse laterally at the interface. Using nanoparticles dispersed in water and amine end-capped polymers in oil, nanoparticle surfactants are generated in situ at the interface overcoming the inherent weak forces governing the interfacial adsorption of nanoparticles. When t...

The field of heterogeneous catalysis has received a remarkable amount of interest from scientific and industrial perspectives because of its enormous impact on the world's economy: more than 90% of chemical manufacturing processes use catalysts. Catalysts are also essential in converting hazardous waste into less harmful products (car exhaust) and in generating power (fuel cells). Yet in all ap...

We show the possibility of simultaneously aligning molecules and focusing their center-of-mass motion near a metal nanoparticle in the field intensity gradient created by the surface plasmon enhancement of incident light. The rotational motion is described quantum mechanically while the translation is treated classically. The effects of the nanoparticle shape on the alignment and focusing are e...

Nanoparticles are being extensively researched as a noninvasive method for selectively targeting and killing cancer cells. We present a method for modeling the thermal activation of a gold nanoparticle and the thermal response of its surrounding medium under single and multi-pulse excitation. It is found that the effective heating range of a nanoparticle is determined by both shape (sphere vs. ...

Calcium phosphate nanoparticle based films show shape dependent increase of hMSC osteogenic marker expression and morphology.

The shape and structural evolution of Co nanoparticles embedded in SiO2 and subjected to swift heavy-ion irradiation have been investigated over a wide energy and fluence range. Modifications of the nanoparticle size and shape were characterized with transmission electron microscopy and small-angle x-ray scattering. Nanoparticles below a threshold diameter remained spherical in shape and progre...