Nanomaterials in solutions: colloidal synthesis and characterizations
Résumé
In this course we will discuss the synthesis and the characterizations of nanomaterials in
a liquid environment. Nanoparticles and nanostructured materials are indeed often
synthesized in solutions via bottom-up routes. In these approaches, chemical and physical
forces operating at the nanoscale are used to assemble basic units into larger structures of
controlled morphology.
In a first step we will review the most important colloidal interactions and the mechanisms
leading to the broad diversity of self-organized structures found in complex fluids. In a
second step we will examine in detail a few examples where monodisperse nanoparticles
or well defined nanostructured solids are obtained via reduction of salts, sol-gel
approaches etc… and how they can be stabilized in solutions.
Finally the last sequence of the course will be dedicated to the description of classic tools
(such as light scattering techniques, spectroscopies …) that can be used to characterize
nanomaterials and follow their formation in solutions. We will present some techniques
and their underlying mechanisms through a few basic examples where the size, the
structure or the properties of the nanomaterials are monitored during their synthesis.