Au nanoparticle-PDMS composites and Pd nanowire gratings for applications in nanotechnology

Abstract

The thesis titled Au Nanoparticle-PDMS composites and Pd nanowire gratings for applications in Nanotechnology is divided in 2 broad parts. Part 1 consists of synthesis, characterisation, properties and applications of Au nanoparticlepoly( dimethylsiloxane) (AuNPs-PDMS) composite. It is divided into sections. Section 1.1 deals with synthesis and characterization of AuNPs-PDMS composite in different forM.S. namely gels, films and foams The particle size of the nanoparticles and distribution can be varied depending on the synthesis condition. In Section 1.2, the rheology of AuNPs-PDMS composite gel is studied to understand its linear viscoelastic properties. For this purpose, AuNPs-PDMS gels were prepared by varying the concentration of precursor and temperature condition while synthesis. Section 1.3 deals with the use of AuNPs-PDMS composite in the form of film and foam for waste water treatment particularly, for the removal of organic solvents and odorous contaminants. The material is tested for efficiency as well as reusability from thioanisole as model example. Section 1.4 is focussed on biological application of the composite for cell adhesion and drug delivery. The cellular interaction of the AuNPs-PDM.S. composite is studied along with the possibility of releasing molecular species (R6G) held on Au nanoparticles surface in PDM.S. matrix. Section 1.5 involves metallization of PDM.S. by further growth of Au nanoparticles with connected granular film. Section 1.6 covers synthesis and characterization of AgNPs-PDMS.systems. and provides an insight into possible applications. Part 2 is a study of metal nanowire gratings for optical diffraction based sensing applications. The Pd nanowires are fabricated by micromolding technique using Pd hexadecyl thiolate as organic precursor. The grating height and width is optimized by electroless deposition of Cu on Pd to achieve high diffraction efficiency.