Date of Award
2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Natural Sciences
First Advisor
Sendova, Mariana
Area of Concentration
Physics
Abstract
The kinetics of copper nanoparticle precipitation in barium-phosphate glass matrices was studied. Barium-phosphate glasses containing 10 mol% of the nanoparticle precursors Cu2O and SnO were prepared using a melt-quench technique. The samples were heat treated at 530, 540, 550, 560, and 570 °C to precipitate metallic copper, while simultaneously collecting UV-visible absorption spectra. The peak optical density of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is assumed to be proportional to the volume fraction of precipitated plasmonic copper. The development of the SPR is analyzed within the framework of classical particle nucleation and growth (Kolmogorov-Johnson-Mehl-Avrami) theory. The activation energy for diffusion based growth and the Gibbs free energy of critical cluster formation were estimated to be 2.6(5) eV and 1.3(9) eV, respectively. Furthermore, an empirical linear relationship was found between the activation energy of diffusion based growth and the glass transition temperature.
Recommended Citation
Smith, Robert Forrest, "FORMATION KINETICS OF COPPER NANOPARTICLES IN PHOSPHATE GLASSES" (2017). Theses & ETDs. 5430.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/5430