Semiconductor and metal oxide nanoparticles: Synthesis, physical properties and industrial application

This thesis addresses various aspects of nanoparticles which attract considerable scientific interest.;In chapter 2 and 3, photoionization of individual nanocrystals (CdSe/CdS and CdSe/CdS/ZnS) has been studied by Electric Force Microscopy (EFM). A different response have been observed for two types of high-quality NCs. The magnitude of the charge due to photoionization was found to be wavelength dependent which implies a "hot-electron" process.;A new metastable phase of vanadium dioxide hydrate with one-dimensional nanostructure has been synthesized through hydrothermal recrystallization which is described in chapter 4. We propose a hydrating-exfoliating-splitting mechanism to elucidate the formation of nanowires and nanoribbons.;Finally, we have conducted synthesis of HfO2 nanoparticles with different crystallinity and morphology. Among them, the amorphous form of HfO2 nanoparticles shows a high solubility in organic solvent which makes it a possible material for high refractive index fluid used in photolithography industry. There is a restriction due to the absorption at the UV region of spectrum. All the details are talked about in chapter 5 and chapter 6.