What Nanoparticle Synthesis & Doping got wrong, from 39 theses

Tried and failed

increasing plasmonic nanoparticle loading in heterostructures applied to photoelectrochemical water splitting photoanodes. Outcome: worse than baseline. Reason: nanoparticle aggregation and optical coupling disrupted uniform shell coating, degrading overall photoelectrochemical performance

Plasmonic enhancement of nanostructured composites containing zif-67 for photoelectrochemical water splitting · Imperial · PhD

Considered and rejected

Considered and rejected: Rejected commercialized NiO paste and raw NiO nanopowders for mesoporous HTL because particle aggregation (up to 800 nm-1 µm) prevented uniform film coverage; replaced with synthesized 20 nm NiO nanoparticles

Fabrication and characterization of lead-free and lead based perovskite solar cells · Imperial · PhD

Considered and rejected

Considered and rejected: Rejected nanocomposites of TiO2/SiO2/CdS nanoparticles blended with polymers due to particle aggregation and high scattering/optical loss, choosing coordinated molecular hybrids instead.

Elucidating exciton-polaritons in organic and two-dimensional metal halide semiconductors · Georgia Tech · PhD

Tried and failed

EDC carbodiimide crosslinking of colloidal nanoparticles applied to surface conjugation to functionalized nanowires. Outcome: unstable. Reason: carboxylic acid-functionalized quantum dots aggregated out of solution during crosslinking

Design and Characterization of Hybrid Biological-Inorganic Systems · Harvard · PhD

Tried and failed

silica shell encapsulation applied to branched anisotropic nanoparticles. Outcome: unstable. Reason: produced irregular aggregates rather than forming a uniform conformal coating

All that glitters is gold: gold nanostars for enhanced fluroescence in the near infra-red window · Imperial · PhD

Tried and failed

direct seed-mediated metal shell overgrowth applied to bimetallic core-shell nanoparticle synthesis. Outcome: unstable. Reason: uncontrolled island-like deposition caused poor colloidal stability and nanoparticle aggregation

Peroxidase-mimicking nanomaterials for amplified lateral flow immunoassays · Imperial · PhD

Tried and failed

antisolvent precipitation using bad solvent for polymer shell applied to block copolymer templated nanocrystal synthesis. Reason: Insolubility of the polymer shell in the antisolvent caused precursor aggregation rather than colloidal nanoparticle formation

Continuous Production and Improved Stabilities of Luminescent Colloidal Perovskite Nanocrystals as Next-Generation Emitters · Georgia Tech · PhD

Tried and failed

nanocrystal synthesis without shape-directing ligand applied to supported bimetallic alloy nanoparticles. Outcome: unstable. Reason: absence of capping agent caused irregular particle morphology and severe agglomeration

Platinum-Based Nanocrystals and Their Use as Electrocatalysts toward Oxygen Reduction · Georgia Tech · PhD

Tried and failed

drop casting nanoparticles for conformal coating applied to vertically aligned high-aspect-ratio nanotube arrays. Reason: nanoparticles aggregated at the tips instead of penetrating, blocking ion transport

Design, Fabrication, and Characterization of Nanostructured Pseudocapacitive Coatings on Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotube Electrodes for High Performance 3D Microsupercapacitors · Georgia Tech · PhD

Tried and failed

co-encapsulating oppositely charged nanoparticles applied to vesicle lumen compartmentalisation. Outcome: unstable. Reason: mutual electrostatic aggregation and charge neutralisation between the particle populations

Dynamic control of compartmentalisation in artificial cell models · Imperial · PhD

Tried and failed

in situ metal nanoparticle sintering on 2D substrates applied to conductive polymer nanocomposite curing. Reason: Nanoparticle agglomeration increased particle size and melting temperature above the matrix curing threshold

High Thermal Conductivity Epoxy Composites In The Application Of 3D Semiconductor Packaging · Georgia Tech · PhD

Considered and rejected

Considered and rejected: Rejected commercial Cu, Cu2O, and ZnO nanoparticles due to massive agglomeration and chemical instability during drying

Wpływ przepływu mikrofluidycznego oraz nanocząstek metalicznych na właściwości amyloidogenne ludzkiej cystatyny C The Influence of Microfluidic Flow and Metallic Nanoparticles on the Amyloidogenic Properties of Human Cystatin C · Adam Mickiewicz University · PhD

Considered and rejected

Considered and rejected: Rejected direct carbonization of Ag@PDA without a SiO2 protective shell because nanoparticles sintered and agglomerated during thermal annealing at 700 °C.

Active sites on copper-based catalysts for electrochemical CO2 reduction selectively to C2+ products · EPFL · PhD

Tried and failed

sacrificial metal template pyrolysis with low dilution applied to single-atom catalyst synthesis. Reason: insufficient spatial isolation by the sacrificial metal allowed target metal atoms to aggregate into nanoparticles

MOF-Derived Electrocatalysts for Sustainable Energy Conversion/Storage Systems · Cornell · PhD

Tried and failed

high metal-oxide nanoparticle loading in carbon nanocomposite inks applied to printed microsupercapacitor electrodes. Outcome: worse than baseline. Reason: nanoparticle clustering severely degraded electrochemical capacitance compared to additive-free electrodes

Additive Fabrication of Microsupercapacitors · EPFL · PhD

Tried and failed

nonmetal doping with phosphorus applied to semiconductor photocatalysts. Outcome: worse than baseline. Reason: deep midgap states acted as electron traps rather than facilitating catalytic charge transfer

Investigating the effect of nonmetal functionalisation on the chemical, sorptive, optoelectronic and photocatalytic properties of semiconducting boron and carbon nitride materials · Imperial · Doctorate

Tried and failed

sol-gel Pechini transition metal co-doping applied to semiconductor photocatalysts. Outcome: no signal. Reason: insufficient suppression of high-valence dopant trap states that quench photoresponse

Study of the effect of d-block and p-block dopants on material and photocatalytic properties of srtio3 · Imperial · Doctorate

Considered and rejected

Considered and rejected: Rejected chemical doping as the disorder-tuning method because it shifts the chemical potential and alters lattice constants/electronic structures.

Study of superconductivity in quantum materials using controlled disorder · Iowa State · PhD

Considered and rejected

Considered and rejected: Rejected direct substitutional doping of CNT lattice because it disrupts sp2 bonding, increases scattering, and reduces carrier mobility.

A Manufacturing Methodology for Carbon Nanotube-based Digital Systems: from Devices, to Doping, to System Demonstrations · MIT · PhD

Tried and failed

high-concentration chemical doping applied to conjugated polymer thermoelectric materials. Outcome: worse than baseline. Reason: severe structural disruption of lamellae caused over-doping, decreasing Seebeck coefficient without increasing electrical conductivity

Examining thermal and charge transport in organic materials with pi-electron interactions · Georgia Tech · PhD

Tried and failed

solution-based electrical doping without swelling solvent applied to conjugated polymer solar cell films. Outcome: worse than baseline. Reason: lack of swelling solvent prevented effective dopant penetration into the conjugated polymer layer

Application of solution-based electrical doping to non-fullerene organic solar cells · Georgia Tech · PhD

Tried and failed

thermal diffusion doping applied to semiconductor photocatalyst preparation. Outcome: worse than baseline. Reason: induced complete rutile phase transformation and dopant evaporation during high-temperature processing

Engineered Sn doped TiO2 bifunctional catalyst for improved hetero-photocatalytic oxidation of arsenite in water · Imperial · PhD

Tried and failed

transition metal doping with high-temperature calcination applied to photocatalytic nitrogen reduction. Outcome: worse than baseline. Reason: high-temperature calcination of metal dopants lowered photocatalytic activity compared to undoped material

Influence of Carbon and Oxygen for Photocatalytic Nitrogen Fixation on Titania · Georgia Tech · PhD

Tried and failed

High-temperature chemical anion doping applied to oxide nanoparticle electrocatalysts. Outcome: worse than baseline. Reason: Severe structural degradation of nanoparticles led to reduced oxygen evolution reaction activity

Polymer-Ligated Nanocrystals with Tunable Dimensions, Compositions, and Architectures · Georgia Tech · PhD

Tried and failed

direct thermal synthesis doping with volatile precursors applied to high-temperature ceramic semiconductor synthesis. Outcome: no signal. Reason: dopant precursors sublimed below the synthesis temperature required for host lattice formation

Investigating the effect of nonmetal functionalisation on the chemical, sorptive, optoelectronic and photocatalytic properties of semiconducting boron and carbon nitride materials · Imperial · Doctorate

Tried and failed

thermal, plasma, and electrical sintering applied to patterned nanoparticle structures in collapsed hydrogels. Reason: failed to produce well-preserved, evenly sintered conductive silver structures

Implosion Fabrication: Rethinking 3D Nanofabrication from First Principles · MIT · PhD

Considered and rejected

Considered and rejected: Rejected vapor deposition for doping due to large boiling point differences between ThF4 and CaF2 causing high dopant loss

The nuclear excitation of Thorium-229 in the CaF2 environment : Development of a crystalline nuclear clock Anregung des Thorium-229 Kerns in einer Kalziumfluorid-Matrix · TU Wien · PhD

Tried and failed

high-concentration substitutional cation doping applied to perovskite metal oxide nanoparticles. Reason: Dopant concentration exceeded solubility limits, forming secondary impurity phases rather than single-phase perovskite.

Study of the effect of d-block and p-block dopants on material and photocatalytic properties of srtio3 · Imperial · Doctorate

Tried and failed

doping oxide and phosphate impurity phases applied to catalytic nitrate reduction. Outcome: worse than baseline. Reason: impurity phases decreased hydrogenation activity instead of acting as cocatalysts

Removal of nitrate with nanoscale nickel phosphides · Iowa State · PhD

Tried and failed

high-concentration isovalent cation co-doping applied to oxide proton conductors. Outcome: worse than baseline. Reason: exceeded solubility limit causing segregation of a resistive secondary phase

Investigation of structure and conductivity of LaNb0.9Mo0.1O4.05 based materials · Imperial · PhD

Tried and failed

melt synthesis doping below liquidus temperature applied to solid-state electrolyte halide mixtures. Reason: reactants failed to form a molten homogeneous solution at target temperature, leading to incomplete doping

Borohydride-based solid electrolytes and polymer composite separators for lithium-ion batteries · Georgia Tech · PhD

Tried and failed

increasing precursor molar ratio in alloy synthesis applied to bimetallic nanoparticle preparation. Reason: excess iron precursor caused phase separation into biphasic core-shell nanoparticles with surface iron oxide

Responsive dual nanoparticle ¹⁹F magnetic resonance molecular imaging probes · UT Austin · PhD

Tried and failed

high-concentration multi-element substitutional doping applied to high-nickel oxide cathode materials. Outcome: worse than baseline. Reason: excess dopants cause severe capacity loss and synthesis phase inhomogeneity

High-voltage oxide cathodes for high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries · UT Austin · PhD

Considered and rejected

Considered and rejected: Rejected direct incorporation of conductive nanoparticles into photopolymer resin due to laser scattering, unwanted polymerization, poor mechanical properties, and low conductivity.

Development of 3D printed enzymatic biofuel cells for powering implantable biomedical devices · Nottingham · PhD

Considered and rejected

Considered and rejected: Rejected UV photopolymerization for hybrid inorganic-organic ionogels due to nanoparticle light-scattering and photon shielding, adopting thermal polymerization instead.

Hybrid Ionogels and Self-Healing Electrolytes: Innovative Solutions for Safer Lithium Metal Batteries · Politecnico di Torino · PhD

Considered and rejected

Considered and rejected: Rejected Ecoflex doped with 150 nm nanoparticles because smaller particle size inhibited curing of the polymer.

Improving Respiratory Sound Monitoring and Analysis through Noise Control, Sensor Design, and Real-World Considerations · Johns Hopkins · PhD

Considered and rejected

Considered and rejected: Rejected silver and gold nanoparticle-loaded conductive hydrogels due to particle oxidation/cytotoxicity (Ag) and precursor viscosity/lack of percolation conductivity (Au).

Development of an injectable hydrogel electrode for the treatment of ventricular arrhythmias · UT Austin · PhD

Tried and failed

high-volume-fraction nanoparticle loading in liquid monomer applied to particle-reinforced elastomer synthesis. Reason: nanoparticles fail to incorporate completely into the liquid monomer above a critical volume fraction

Fracture of Heterogeneous Soft Materials · Harvard · PhD

Tried and failed

noble metal nanoparticle incorporation for electrical conductivity applied to injectable hydrogels. Outcome: unstable. Reason: Nanoparticles oxidized, leached in aqueous persulfate systems, failed below percolation threshold, and increased precursor viscosity excessively

Development of an injectable hydrogel electrode for the treatment of ventricular arrhythmias · UT Austin · PhD

Tried and failed

carbide nanoparticle core-shell deposition applied to noble metal electrocatalyst synthesis. Reason: Inconsistent core particle size distributions caused incomplete shell coverage and unattached metal nanoparticle precipitation.

Transition Metal Heterogeneous Catalysis Towards Applications in Sustainable Energy: Leveraging Rational Design Principles for Activity, Stability, and Stereoselectivity · MIT · PhD

Tried and failed

heterogeneous core-shell nanoparticle growth applied to magnetic-upconversion nanocomposite synthesis. Reason: nucleation yielded separate homogeneous particle populations instead of heterogeneous core-shell coating

Phosphonate-anchored ligands for upconversion imaging nanoprobes · Imperial · PhD

Tried and failed

nanoparticle seed grafting on unfunctionalized surfaces applied to silica core-shell nanoparticle synthesis. Reason: poor seed adhesion caused formation of unwanted nanowire networks instead of uniform shells

All that glitters is gold: gold nanostars for enhanced fluroescence in the near infra-red window · Imperial · PhD

Considered and rejected

Considered and rejected: Electrochemical deposition of platinum was rejected in favor of electroless deposition due to substantially lower nanoparticle coverage (2.04% vs 67.30% Pt mass)

Rapid and low-cost sensors based on nanostructured carbon materials for health and agricultural applications · Iowa State · PhD

Left open

Synthesize ternary nanocomposites by crosslinking nanoparticles or using core/shell architectures to improve upconversion nanoparticle emission utilization efficiency. Blocker: Requires a wet chemistry and nanomaterials laboratory to synthesize polymer-ligated nanocrystals and characterize optical properties.

Polymer-Ligated Nanocrystals with Tunable Dimensions, Compositions, and Architectures · Georgia Tech · PhD

Left open

Resolve phase separation and purification issues encountered during grafting-to phosphonate coupling onto silica nanoparticles. Blocker: Requires a wet-lab chemistry setup for nanoparticle synthesis, chemical coupling, and purification

Mechanical reinforcement and property tuning of adhesive elastomers with polymer-grafted inorganic nanoparticles · MIT · PhD

Left open

Isolate and clarify the individual photocatalytic roles of nitrogen/ammonium precursors versus nickel doping in sol-gel synthesized TiO2 for hydrogen production. Blocker: Requires a wet chemistry laboratory, sol-gel synthesis equipment, and photoreaction apparatus.

Producción de hidrógeno mediante fotocatálisis heterogénea · University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria · PhD

Left open

Investigate co-doping strategies in spray-pyrolysis-deposited iron oxide thin films to enhance photocatalytic activity. Blocker: Requires a wet chemistry and material synthesis lab with spray pyrolysis apparatus to synthesize and test thin films.

Elaboration and optimization of Iron Oxide thin films deposited via spray pyrolysis. Applications in water treatment · University of El Oued · Doctorate

Left open

Test alternative stabilizing agents or dopants during silver nanoparticle synthesis to evaluate changes in porosity, biocompatibility, and catalytic selectivity. Blocker: Requires a wet chemistry lab and materials characterization equipment to synthesize and test nanoparticles.

Exploring the Mechanisms of the Early Stages of the Formation of Silver Nanoparticles and the Role of Organic Additives · Leibniz Universität Hannover · PhD

Left open

Control the graded refractive index profile shapes (linear, sub-linear, super-linear) via nanoparticle synthesis and deposition to improve anti-reflective performance. Blocker: Requires chemical synthesis (mesoporous silica nanoparticles) and wet-lab fabrication/deposition equipment.

Design And Fabrication Of Passive Cooling Materials For Sustainable Solar Energy And Building Applications · Penn · PhD

Left open

Map the 3D arrangement of sintered nanoparticles using tomographic reconstruction and evaluate catalytic performance across particle size ratios. Blocker: Requires synthesized nanoparticle samples and physical experimental apparatus (electron tomography, catalytic testing)

Kinetic Manipulation of Self-Assembling Systems for Scalable Nanomaterials Synthesis · MIT · PhD

Left open

Synthesize and measure low-doping R1-xR'xNiO3 series to determine the critical tolerance factor tc for metal-insulator transitions. Blocker: Requires chemical synthesis (sol-gel) and high-pressure oxygen annealing laboratory equipment

Metal-insulator transition in yttrium- and neodymium-doped lanthanum nickelates · UT Austin · PhD