NANOMATERIAL SYNTHESIS AND REAL TIME INVESTIGATION OF THERMAL EFFECTS ON NANOMATERIAL AND NANO-INTERFACES FOR REAL WORLD APPLICATIONS

As interest in nanomaterials and nanotechnology continues to grow, so does the need for more efficient and economical synthesis methods to keep up with the demand. The applications for nanomaterials are seemingly endless as they have functions in energy, biomedical, environmental, and many more. Working to develop different morphologies and sizes of nanomaterials will further help expand its utility. With the use of advanced characterization techniques such as in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM), real time studies on the effects of external forces on nanomaterials are possible under controlled environments. This will give insight on how nanomaterials will perform in real world applications and will allow for the development of superior nanomaterials in applications. The three chapters of this dissertation will focus on the solid-state synthesis of crystalline nanomaterials with specific morphology as well as the real time investigation of thermal treatments on the stability and degradation of nanomaterials via in situ TEM. The first two chapters concentrate on the hydrothermal and chemical vapor deposition synthesis and materials characterization of nanomaterials with magnetic and semiconductor properties. The last chapter will focus on the in situ investigation of the reaction of nanomaterial and nano-interfaces as they are subjected to increased temperatures within the TEM. The works presented here show the versatility of nanomaterial syntheses and demonstrate the application of real time advanced electron microscopy techniques to further study the structure-property relationships of nanomaterials