The Impact of Solubility
on Nanoscience
Jordan M. Anderson
Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Chemistry
University Central Florida
Nanoscience Technology Center
Introduction
to Solubility
2
What is solubility?
• Ability for a solvent (liquid) to dissolve a solute
(solid, liquid, gas)
Demo: Packing Peanuts
3
How does solubility work?
• “Like dissolves like”
• Different solvents can dissolve different solutes
– Water
– Acetone
Photo courtesy of USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
4
What is water?
• H2O
• Two hydrogens bonded to one oxygen
• Oxygen wins the electron tug-a-war
– Electrons have a negative charge
+
+
5
What is soluble in H2O?
• Anything “Like” water
• Anything with charges
– Salt?
NaCl
6
Salt in water
7
What is not soluble in H2O?
• Anything not “Like” water
• Anything without charges
– Oil
Demo: Oil in Water
8
Solubility in
Nanoscience
9
Graphite
• Unique carbon molecule that has interesting
properties
• Is it soluble in water?
No!
10
Can we make graphite soluble?
• What are the requirements for solubility in
water?
– Charges!
• Use molecules that interact with the non-charged
surface of graphite, and the charged water
11
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)
• What is a carbon nanotube?
• Hollow graphite “burrito”
12
Size of CNTs
13
Microscope images of CNTs
14
Can we make CNTs soluble?
• CNTs are cylindrical, so they do not interact
very well with flat compounds
• What about long flexible compounds?
15
What about polymers?
• What is a polymer?
• Long chain of atoms
• Polymers with carbon chains can interact with
the non-charged carbon nanotube
• Carbon chain polymers modified with charged
groups can interact with the carbon nanotube
and water
16
Carbon nanotubes and polymers
Demo: CNT Suspension
17
Applications of
Nanoparticle
Solubility
18
Metal coated nano-materials
• Graphite and CNT have high surface area
• If we coat them with other materials, we do not
have to use as much of the other materials
• A CNT coated with platinum behaves just like
platinum, except it is hollow
– Less platinum = cheap
• How do we coat graphite or CNT with metals?
Pt
Pt
Pt
Pt
Pt
Pt
Pt
19
Metal solubility
• Metal is not soluble, but metal ions are soluble
– What are metal ions?
• Rusting (oxidation) turns solid metal into metal
ions
Rusting
Pt
Not soluble in water
Oxidation
Pt+
Soluble in water
20
Pt ion dissolved in water
Pt
Oxidation
Pt+
Not soluble
Soluble
21
Metal coating process
Pt+
Pt
Pt+
Pt
Pt+
Pt
Pt+
Pt
22
Our Research
(Dr. Lei Zhai)
23
Current research projects
• Supercapacitor composite materials
– Energy storage (Like batteries)
– CNT, Graphene Oxide
• Fuel Cell Electrodes
– Energy generation (Transportation
devices)
– CNT
• Biogels
– Medical electrode implants (Drug delivery,
brain controlled robotic prostheses)
– Graphene Oxide Demo: Biogel
24
Thank You
25
Questions?
26