Date of Award
8-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Chemistry
Committee Chair/Advisor
George Chumano
Committee Member
Carlos Garcia
Committee Member
Jeffrey Anker
Committee Member
Jason McNeill
Abstract
Nanoparticles exhibit unique properties dependent on their size, shape, and arrangement that are critical for sensing applications, such as the localized surface plasmon resonance of silver nanoparticles. Therefore, control over their assembly facilitates control over these properties. For this purpose, nanostructured insulated electrodes were developed and characterized for directed assembly of nanoparticle clusters. Electrode characterization required a new method for relative electric field quantification from electric force microscopy (EFM) measurements, implemented via an extended Hudlet model to estimate the field between the sample and the EFM probe apex. Restricting analysis to the apex – sample interaction improves spatial resolution and accuracy relative to full-probe measurements. This approach was validated through finite element modeling, with values differing from 31 to 106% compared to experiment, supporting its use for order-of-magnitude field estimation.
The derived electric field and gradient values were used to assess dielectrophoretic performance prior to experiments in which silver nanoparticles were assembled on the electrode surface. While clustering was observed via UV-Vis spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy, the cause of the clustering could not be definitively determined. To improve assembly control, a template-assisted soft lithography method was developed to organize silver nanoparticles into ordered 2D arrays. However, the results were irreproducible and require further optimization. Finally, a nanoprecipitation method was developed to coat silver nanoparticles with a thin polystyrene shell to mitigate oxidative degradation in reactive environments. Although coating was supported, the shell did not prevent nanoparticle oxidation.
Recommended Citation
Burgess, Thomas F., "Nanostructured Insulated Electrodes for Directed Nanoparticle Assembly: Development and Characterization" (2026). All Dissertations. 4318.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/4318
Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2339-2402