This resource is designed as an introduction to the science of metal and semiconductor nanoparticles. It’s focused on level 1 and 2 students so it places a particular emphasis on the difference between the physical and chemical properties of the bulk form of materials, individual molecules and nanoparticles in the 1-100 nm diameter range. 

Downloads

Download all

Additional information

Many of the underlying concepts that students should understand in order to do this problem are covered in many year one chemistry courses such as quantisation, particle in a box, band theory and molecular orbital theory. An understanding of the underlying principles of electronic spectroscopy and intermolecular forces will also be useful.

If students are yet to study some (or all) of these concepts, this problem could also be used to introduce the concepts alongside lectures – the problem will give students an opportunity to see how some of these (occasionally abstract) concepts can be applied in real applications.

This resource and its components are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.