Project Team
Students
Marianna Di Balsamo
Pre-Medicine
Penn State Altoona, Penn State University Park
Faculty Mentors
Kofi Adu
Penn State Altoona
Physics
Ramakrishnan Rajagopalan
Penn State University Park/Penn State DuBois
Engineering
Project
Project Video
Project Abstract
One of the challenges in nanomaterial synthesis is synthesizing monodispersed nanostructures. Synthesis approaches of nanomaterials always lead to synthesizing a range of diameters that affect the physical, electrical, thermal, mechanical, and chemical properties of the nanomaterials. Theoretical calculations that are based on monodispersed nanostructures are normally inconsistent with the experimental results that are based on nanostructures of a range of diameters. Thus, in analyzing experimental data with a theoretical model, the diameter distribution must be incorporated into the analysis. We explore 5 different distribution models using MATLAB to identify the distribution that correlate the experiment to the theory. We explore a Gaussian, a Log-normal, a Lorentzian and a Voigt distribution function. Through our investigation, we found that the smaller the diameter of the particle, the more log-normal fits the best, but as the particle diameter increases, a Gaussian distribution or sometimes even a Voigt distribution is best. From our research, we are better able to identify which distribution can be incorporated into our theoretical calculations to ensure that they match with experimental findings.
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