AbstractsChemistry

The study of charge transfer across the liquid/liquid interface provides a way to understand the mechanism of phase-transfer catalysis, energy conversion, ion sensing etc. In this project, the mechanism of the transfer of tetrachloroaurate (AuCl4-) from the aqueous phase into organic phase was studied by voltammetry. This is motivated by the fact that the transfer mechanism, which is essential to the understanding of nanoparticle synthesis, has not been studied yet. Based on the experimental results, the mechanism of the transfer of AuCl4- was explained as such: AuCl4- forms short-lived ion pairs with tetraoctylammonium (TOA+) in the mixed solvent layer at the liquid/liquid interface; then, under the influence of the electric field, the AuCl4- ??TOA+ ion pairs decompose at the interface between the mixed solvent layer and the organic phase; finally, AuCl4- ions entered the organic phase and TOA+ stay in the mixed solvent layer to facilitate the transfer of the next AuCl4-. The formation mechanism of the Ag nanoparticles at the liquid/liquid interface was also briefly studied. Advisors/Committee Members: Sun, Peng (advisor), Liu, Yan (committee member).