Investigations of nanocarbons and other inorganic nanomaterials

Abstract

Materials when reduced to nanoregime they start behaving differently from what they are in bulk; nanotechnology and science of nanomaterials thus attract a whole lot of attention. This thesis consists of seven chapters covering study of various properties of some nanomaterials. Chapter 1 presents a brief overview of inorganic nanomaterials with various aspects of synthesis, shape and size control and properties. Chapter 2 deals with solubilization of nanodiamond by functionalization. We were able to get stable dispersions of nanodiamond in organic solvents by covalently functionalizing with organosilane and organotin or with long chain aliphatic amine through amide derivatization and in water by noncovalently functionalizing with surfactants. In Chapter 3 we investigated mechanical properties of polymer nanocomposites containing single or two nanocarbons as nanofillers. Mechanical properties of composites with binary combinations of nanocarbons exhibited extraordinary synergy suggesting new ways of designing advanced materials incorporating more than one nanomaterial. Study of surface-enhanced Raman scattering of adsorbed molecules on films of Au and Ag nanoparticles comprises Chapter 4. These films were produced at the organic-aqueous interface and show good enhancement factors. We prepared nanocomposites of Au nanoparticles in polymer. Study of scaling behaviour of plasmon coupling with concentration variation is presented in Chapter 5. In Chapter 6 we demonstrate successful generation of white light using nanoparticles of GaN and ZnO. Produced white light was of good quality and quantum yield. Chapter 7 deals with work in progress which comprises of two works: first, study of the magnetic properties of thin films of Au nanoparticles formed at the organic-aqueous interface and second, covalently linking two nanocarbons.