0000000000466093
AUTHOR
Caleb H. Netting
Far infrared absorption by acoustic phonons in titanium dioxide nanopowders
We report spectral features of far infrared electromagnetic radiation absorption in anatase TiO2 nanopowders which we attribute to absorption by acoustic phonon modes of nanoparticles. The frequency of peak excess absorption above the background level corresponds to the predicted frequency of the dipolar acoustic phonon from continuum elastic theory. The intensity of the absorption cannot be accounted for in a continuum elastic dielectric description of the nanoparticle material. Quantum mechanical scale dependent effects must be considered. The absorption cross section is estimated from a simple mechanical phenomenological model. The results are in plausible agreement with the absorption b…
Inelastic neutron scattering due to acoustic vibrations confined in nanoparticles: theory and experiment
The inelastic scattering of neutrons by nanoparticles due to acoustic vibrational modes (energy below 10 meV) confined in nanoparticles is calculated using the Zemach-Glauber formalism. Such vibrational modes are commonly observed by light scattering techniques (Brillouin or low-frequency Raman scattering). We also report high resolution inelastic neutron scattering measurements for anatase TiO2 nanoparticles in a loose powder. Factors enabling the observation of such vibrations are discussed. These include a narrow nanoparticle size distribution which minimizes inhomogeneous broadening of the spectrum and the presence of hydrogen atoms oscillating with the nanoparticle surfaces which enhan…
Damping by Bulk and Shear Viscosity of Confined Acoustic Phonons for Nanostructures in Aqueous Solution
International audience; A nanoparticle in aqueous solution is modeled as a homogeneous elastic isotropic continuum sphere in contact with an infinite viscous compressible Newtonian fluid. The frequencies and damping of the confined vibrational modes of the sphere are calculated for the material parameters of a CdSe nanoparticle in water and a poly(methyl methacrylate) nanosphere in water. Although the effects of viscosity are found to be negligible for macroscopic objects, for nanoscale objects, both the frequency and damping of the vibrational modes are significantly affected by the viscosity of the liquid. Furthermore, both shear viscosity and bulk viscosity play an important role. A mode…