Nanoparticles are beneficial to catalytic, electronic, optical and magnetic applications because of their unique physical and chemical properties, such as distinct electronics and powerful surface chemistry. The interactions between the surface chemistry and core electronics of these systems remains to be examined directly. A defining property of nanoparticles is their surface plasmon resonance, a strong and broad band that absorbs in the UV-visible spectrum. The surface plasmon band shape and intensity is contingent on the electronic interactions between the particle and the passivating ligands. These interactions can be observed by monitoring the mobile electrons that reside near the Fermi level (E<sub>f</sub>). Conduction electron spin resonance (CESR) spectroscopy can probe these electrons at the E<sub>f</sub> by inducing a spin flip which gives rise to a broad resonance signal from which the g-factor can be obtained. The g-factor is indicative of the splitting of the electron energy levels under an applied magnetic field and provides information into the electronic behaviors of the core metal–ligand interactions. This project examines para-mercaptobenzoic acid protected AuNPs and azobenzene derivative capped nanoparticles using CESR spectroscopy. These ligands can be altered post-synthesis, allowing the nanoparticles to be tuned without having to destroy them or utilize more expensive materials. Using CESR to study these nanoparticles provides an understanding of the electronic variations induced by an application of external stimuli. The aim of studying these ligands is to broaden the understanding of how the metallic nanoparticles’ electronic states can be controlled by fine tuning the surface chemistry.

Altering the electronic structure of nanoparticles through external stimuli

255th National Meeting (2018)

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