Self-assembly of gold nanorods on luminescent particles to combine optical thermometry and plasmonic catalysis

• Grant number: 23/01998-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2023
• End date: December 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Inorganic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Paulo Cesar de Sousa Filho
• Grantee: Gabriel Moronari Domingues da Silva
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Multifunctional systems exploring simultaneously optical and catalytical properties are highly interesting both for fundamental studies and to develop new materials. For example, thermometric phosphors can be combined to metal nanoparticles (NPs) to detect local temperature fluctuation at the surface of nanomaterials in plasmonic catalysis reactions, thus enabling to describe thermal and electronic contributions in such processes. In addition, metal NPs can act as nanoheaters under irradiation, where combining these structures to luminescent thermometers enables regulating the self-heating of the metallic phase via a highly localised temperature determination, which in turn provides interesting perspectives in photothermal therapy. Exploration of such potentiality in plasmonic catalysis and theranostics requires new methods affording effective combination of these structures with controllable loading and interaction stability. This project aims to elaborate new self-assembly methodologies of Au/Ag nanorods (AuNRs) over REPO4-REVO4 e REVO4-NaREF4 submicrometric particles (RE=Y,Yb,Er,Nd) with near infrared (NIR)-excited luminescence (808 nm). We propose to evaluate strategies based on direct anchoring using ligands to bridge the metal and oxide/fluoride surface (e.g thioglycolate), and on the interface assembly in emulsion droplets via evaporation of the discontinuous phase. We envisage to modulate the loading of AuNRs over the luminescent particles, thus evaluating the effects of the combination of the different phases on the thermometric properties, as well as the potentiality of the final systems in plasmonic catalysis and photoinduced self-heating.