| In this dissertation, the effects of a photonic band gap, generated by photonic crystals fabricated from polystyrene nanospheres, on dye emissions incorporated in the polystyrene nanospheres are examined. The dyes are incorporated into the polystyrene colloids used to construct the photonic crystal. To this end, the synthesis of colloidal polystyrene nanospheres, synthesis of dye doped polystyrene nanospheres and assembly of the colloids into an FCC lattice exhibiting a stop band are investigated. Various methods for chemically modifying the nanosphere surface, in order to increase its chemical reactivity are also investigated.; Chapter one is a short introduction to the area of nanotechnology, polymer nanoparticles and their applications. In chapter two, the ability to control the polymer nanosphere size is examined and the fabrication of highly monodisperse polystyrene nanospheres, in a range of sizes, from 200 nm to 800 nm, by emulsifier free emulsion polymerization, is discussed.; Chapter three, examines the use of colloidal polymer nanoparticles in fabricating photonic crystals. The ability to synthesize highly monodisperse nanospheres in a range of sizes is exploited and a variety of different sized but highly monodisperse nanospheres are synthesized. These are then used to assemble photonic crystals. Nanospheres doped with dyes, fabricated using a core shell approach, are used to assemble photonic crystals and to study the effects of the stop-band on the dye emissions; such as inhibition of spontaneous emission and energy transfer.; Chapter four and chapter five discuss novel methods for chemically modifying these polymer nanospheres, in order to incorporate chemical diversity at their surface. In chapter four, the "in-situ" grafting technique developed previously, is examined for its applicability to a wider range of monomers. Methods for thiolation, amination, hydroxylation and carboxylation of the nanosphere surface, and further modifications are examined. In chapter five, the emulsifier free emulsion polymerization technique is extended to the synthesis of poly-pentafluorostyrene nanospheres and pentafluorostyrene grafted polystyrene nanospheres. These pentafluorostyrene grafted polystyrene nanospheres are then used to incorporate other chemical functionalities such as, amine, hydroxyl, thiol and carboxyl groups on the nanosphere surface, via nucleophilic substitution reactions occurring on the nanosphere surface at the pentafluorostyrene aromatic rings. |
