Electroless Deposition of Silver onto Silica Nanoparticles to Produce Lipophilic Core-Shell Nanoparticles.

Hypothesis: The colloidal stability of noble metal nanoparticles can be tuned for solvents of varying hydrophobicity by modifying the surface chemistry of the particles with different capping agent architectures. Challenges arise when attempting to separately control multiple nanoparticle properties due to the interdependence of this adsorption process on the surface chemistry and metal architecture. A surfactant-mediated, templated synthesis strategy should decouple control over size and stability to produce lipophilic nanoparticles from aqueous reagents.

Evaluating the Rheo-electric Performance of Aqueous Suspensions of Oxidized Carbon Black.

Hypothesis: The macroscopic properties of carbon black suspensions are primarily determined by the agglomerate microstructure built of primary aggregates. Conferring colloidal stability in aqueous carbon black suspensions should thus have a drastic impact on their viscosity and conductivity.

Experiments: Carbon black was treated with strong acids following a wet oxidation procedure.