Date of Award
Spring 2026
Document Type
Open Access Dissertation
Department
Chemistry and Biochemistry
First Advisor
Andrew B. Greytak
Abstract
Colloidal inorganic nanocrystals of a variety of compositions are highly sought after for solution-phase and thin film applications due to the unique optical and magnetic characteristics afforded by their size-dependent properties. Key to their application in optics and biomedical technologies is the stabilization of their surfaces with ligands that provide charge balance, stabilization in solution, and opportunities for functionalization of solution-facing moieties. In this dissertation, three compositional areas of nanocrystals are explored with a focus on the measurement of ligand interactions at their surfaces. First, advances in solution-phase measurements of ligand-nanocrystal interactions are explored with a focus on the utilization of isothermal titration calorimetry to characterize thermodynamic parameters associated with ligand association and exchange on semiconductor nanocrystal surfaces. The features of this measurement approach and thermodynamic models relevant to nanocrystal interactions are described. Secondly, the surface chemistry control of the colloidal and optoelectronic properties of lead halide perovskite nanocrystals are discussed toward advancements in their stabilization. Finally, the translation of insights from these areas are applied toward the design of aqueous-stable magnetic nanocrystals, the surface chemistry of which require alternative measurement approaches due to their magnetic and optical properties. Two methods were developed utilizing the strong binding and optical characteristics of nitrocatechol species with magnetite nanocrystals to advance the solution-phase tools available for measuring ligand interactions with magnetic metal oxide nanocrystal surfaces.
Rights
© 2026, Jennii Michelle Burrell
Recommended Citation
Burrell, J. M.(2026). Ligand Interactions With Colloidal Nanocrystals: Expansion of Tools for Magnetic Metal Oxide Surface Chemistry Measurements. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/8916