Nanoscale Curvature Effects on the Properties of Anisotropic Nanomaterials

This proposal seeks to determine how anisotropic nanomaterials that support unique curvature—regions of positive, negative, and neutral curvature simultaneously—exhibit properties distinct from symmetric (spherical) or elongated (rod-like) nanoparticles. As a model system, we plan to focus on gold nanostars (AuNS) synthesized through a seedless method and that can support distinct numbers of branches with tunable thicknesses and lengths. This work aims to resolve the mechanism of seedless growth at the single-particle level as well as determine how AuNS sample purity can be optimized by physical post-processing. Also, we will explore the structure-activity relationships of AuNS related to ligand attachment and loading and examine how diffraction-limited optical imaging tools can be used to identify 3D nanoscale orientation of AuNS. Our plan of work is designed to determine how specific nanoscale curvature features can be manipulated chemically, physically, and optically to facilitate new applications for anisotropic nanomaterials.