Highly fluorescent, stable, water-soluble Ag nanoclusters have been successfully prepared via a convenient sonochemical approach using a simple polyelectrolyte, polymethylacrylic acid (PMAA), as a capping agent. The optical and fluorescence properties of the Ag nanoclusters can be easily controlled by varying the synthetic conditions, such as sonication time, stoichiometry of the carboxylate gr...

The preparation of ruthenium(0) nanoclusters supported on hydroxyapatite and their characterization by a combination of complementary techniques are described. The resultant ruthenium(0) nanoclusters provide high activity and reusability in the complete hydrogenation of aromatics under mild conditions (at 25 degrees C and with 42 psi initial H(2) pressure).

A facile drug screening method based on synthesis of fluorescent gold nanoclusters inside albumin proteins loaded with small molecular drugs and comparing the relative fluorescence intensities of the resultant gold nanoclusters has been developed and successfully applied for the quantitative measurement of drug-protein binding constants.

Extensive search for new magnetic materials free of critical rare-earth elements or expensive platinum suitable for technology or energy-applications is one of the main factors driving today's research in magnetism. Development of these new materials is often hindered by conventional bulk-synthesis techniques which result in phase mixtures or poor magnetic properties. This dissertation focusses...

Radiotherapy is often the most straightforward first line cancer treatment for solid tumors. While it is highly effective against tumors, there is also collateral damage to healthy proximal tissues especially with high doses. The use of radiosensitizers is an effective way to boost the killing efficacy of radiotherapy against the tumor while drastically limiting the received dose and reducing t...

Novel approaches to paracrystalline nanostructures, quasicrystalline nanoclusters, and dynamics are outlined in terms of a generalized paracrystal theory (GPT) of scattering and diffraction that includes single nanoclusters as well. Several examples are presented together with original experimental data for oneto threedimensional paracrystalline and quasi-crystalline lattices, with the latter b...

An ultrafast synthesis method is presented for hexanethiolate-coated gold nanoclusters (d < 2 nm, <250 atoms per nanocluster), which takes only 2 min and can be easily reproduced. With two immiscible solvents, gold nanoclusters are separated from the reaction byproducts fast and easily without any need for post-synthesis cleaning.