Colloidal Nanoparticles and

Semiconductors
Nanoparticles
PHY2005

C Vasanth Reddy
18BCN7069
 Colloids
All aquatic and terrestrial environmental systems contain small particles,
covering the size range from 1 nanometre to several micrometer. Colloids (1-
1000 nm) have different properties and behaviour compared to dissolved
species (< 1 nm) and particles (> 1000 nm), The small size of colloids has
two important consequences

(i) Colloids have enormous surface areas and surface energies and are able to
interact strongly with contaminant species

(ii) The properties of the smallest fraction of colloids (nanoparticles, 1-100

nm) may be different to those of the larger particles (> 100 nm) or
those of the corresponding atoms or molecules forming the colloids
based on size alone.
Colloidal Nanoparticles
• Colloidal Nanoparticles can defined as colloidal suspension of
nanoparticles in fluids(usually water).
• They show various changes in their properties in terms of optical and
dielectric properties as the effective particle size of the dispersion phase
decreases.
• For example consider the change in optical property of gold as the size of
the gold particle size decreases
 Physical Properties
• Optical: Colloidal gold has been used by artists for centuries because of the nanoparticle’s
interactions with visible light. Gold nanoparticles absorb and scatter light resulting in
colours ranging from vibrant reds to blues to black and finally to clear and colorless,
depending on particle size, shape, local refractive index, and aggregation state. These colors
occur because of a phenomenon called Localized Surface Plasmon
Resonance (LSPR), in which conduction electrons on the surface of the nanoparticle
oscillate in resonance with incident light.

• Effect of size: As a general rule, the wavelength of light absorbed increases as a function of
increasing nano particle size.For example, pseudo-spherical gold nanoparticles with
diameters ~ 30 nm have a peak LSPR absorption at ~530 nm.

• Effect of local refractive index: Changes in the apparent color of a gold nanoparticle
solution can also be caused by the environment in which the colloidal gold is suspended.
The optical properties of gold nanoparticles depends on the refractive index near the
nanoparticle surface, therefore both the molecules directly attached to the nanoparticle
surface (i.e. nanoparticle ligands) and/or the nanoparticle solvent both may influence
observed optical features. Effect of aggregation
 Why Colloidal Nanoparticles?
• The particles in a colloidal dispersion are sufficiently large for a well-
defined surface of separation, an interface, to exist between the particles
and the medium
• Several neurodegerative diseases are linked to colloidal deposits in the
brain containing nanoparticles. These are activated within the brain by
colloidal or particulate material of exogenous origin. While the sites of
damage and types of aggregate involved can vary widely, the sequence of
events triggered by their chronic presence with the brain is more or less
common.
• Colloidal nanoparticles can be used as advanced biological sensors
• Colloidal Inorganic Nanoparticles can be used in different fields from
Medicine to Energy
 Colloidal Gold
• Colloidal gold is a sol or colloidal suspension of nanoparticles of gold
in a fluid.

• Due to their optical, electronic, and molecular-recognition properties,

gold nanoparticles are the subject of substantial research, with many
potential or promised applications in a wide variety of areas. Some of them
include

1. Electron microscopy

2. Electronics

3. Materials science

4. Biomedicines
 Immunogold Labelling
Immunogold labelling or Immunogold staining (IGS) is a staining technique
used in electron microscopy.This staining technique follow the same
patterns of the Indirect immunofluorescence. Colloidal gold particles are
most often attached to secondary antibodies which are in turn attached to
primary antibodies designed to bind a specific antigen or other cell
component. Gold is used for its high electron density which increases
electron scatter to give high contrast 'dark spots'
 Detection of Toxic Gases
Researchers have developed simple inexpensive methods for on-site
detection of hydrogen sulfide H2S present in air based on the
antiaggregation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Dissolving H2S into a weak
alkaline buffer solution leads to the formation of HS-, which can stabilize
AuNPs and ensure they maintain their red color allowing for visual detection
of toxic levels of H2S.
 Drug Delivery System
Gold nanoparticles can be used to optimize the biodistribution of drugs to
diseased organs, tissues or cells, in order to improve and target drug
delivery.Nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery is feasible only if the drug
distribution is otherwise inadequate. These cases include drug targeting of
unstable (proteins, siRNA, DNA), delivery to the difficult sites (brain,
retina, tumors, intracellular organelles) and drugs with serious side effects
(e.g. anti-cancer agents). The performance of the nanoparticles depends on the
size and surface functionalities in the particles. Also, the drug release and
particle disintegration can vary depending on the system (e.g. biodegradable
polymers sensitive to pH). An optimal nanodrug delivery system ensures that
the active drug is available at the site of action for the correct time and
duration, and their concentration should be above the minimal effective
concentration (MEC) and below the minimal toxic concentration (MTC).
 Semiconductor Nanoparticles
• When the size of semiconductor materials is reduced to nanoscale, their
physical and chemical properties change drastically, resulting in unique
properties due to their large surface area or quantum size effect.
Currently, semiconductor nano-materials and devices are still in the
research stage, but they are promising for applications in many fields,
such as solar cells, nanoscale electronic devices, light-emitting nano
devices, laser technology, waveguide, chemicals and biosensors.

• Further development of nanotechnology will certainly lead to significant

breakthroughs in the semiconductor industry. Semiconductor devices
include the various types of transistors, solar cells, many kinds of diodes
including the light-emitting diode, the silicon controlled rectifier, and
digital and analog integrated circuits.
 Semiconductor Nanomaterials for
Hydrogen Production

• After extensive usage of fossil fuel we are in desperate need to search an

alternate fuel. Hydrogen had been a promising one till now.

• Recent studies have indicated that hydrogen fuel costs are reasonable and
hydrogen is therefore an ideal candidate to replace fossil fuels as an
energy carrier.

• But this fuel can be mainly synthesised by Photocatalytic production from

water
 Photocatalytic Hydrogen
Production
Photocatalytic hydrogen production from water in one of the promising
techniques due to the following advantages:

1. It is based on photon (or solar) energy, which is a clean, perpetual source

of energy, and mainly water, which is a renewable resource.

2. It is an environmentally safe technology without undesirable by-products

and pollutants.

3. The photochemical conversion of solar energy into a storable form of

energy, i.e. hydrogen, allows one to deal with the intermittent character
and seasonal variation of the solar influx.
Contd….
• Semiconductors such as TiO2, ZnO, ZrO2, V2O5, WO3, Fe2O3, SnO2 and metal
sulphides (CdS and ZnS) are employed as photocatalysts. Among the semiconductors,
titanium dioxide (TiO2) is one of the most important and widely used photocatalysts,
because of its suitable flat band potential, high chemical stability, nontoxicity, corrosion
resistance, abundance, cheapness, and high photocatalytic activity

• One-dimensional TiO2 (nanowires, nanorods, nanotubes and nanofibers) has attracted

more and more attention. Compared to spherical particles, one-dimensional TiO2
nanostructures could provide a high surface area and a high interfacial charge transfer
rate.

• The biggest disadvantage of TiO2 is that it is inactive under visible light irradiation, due
to its large bandgap, which impedes the use of TiO2 as a solar energy harvesting
photocatalyst.

• In order to overcome these deficiencies, TiO2 doped with different metals, nonmetals,
and surface modifications has been used to utilize solar energy as the irradiation source.
 Silicon Semiconductor
Nanomaterials
• The development of silicon based materials and devices will influence the
future development of current microelectronics and information technology
to a certain extent, which has an important strategic significance.

• The widely used crystalline silicon wafers, silicon nanostructures are

considered as the basic components for future nano/microelectronic devices

• One typical example is the size-tunable highly-luminescent silicon

nanostructures due to the quantum effect. By using these novel properties
scientists have recently developed several silicon based novel devices like
highly sensitive biological and chemical sensors, high-efficiency solar cells
and light-emitting diodes.
 Organic Optoelectronic
Materials and Devices

Organic optoelectronic devices, such as organic electroluminescent devices

(OLED), organic photovoltaic (OPV) and organic thin film transistors
(OTFT), have attracted significant attention in academics and industries, due
to their great application potential in flat-panel and flexible display, solid-
state lighting, information transport and storage, new generation energy,
photocatalyst and so on.
Thank you……