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How do electrons move when metals shrink to the nanoscale and are dispersed in liquids? At this scale, conduction is profoundly altered: energy levels become quantum-confined, scattering is dominated by surfaces, and ligands mediate exchange across the metal–liquid interface. These effects underpin plasmonic light harvesting, liquid photonics, photochemistry, and catalysis, yet direct measurements of nanometal conductivity in realistic liquid environments are missing.

This project tackles that challenge by advancing terahertz (THz) spectroscopy driven by amplified laser pulses. You will quantify how electron transport evolves with nanoparticle size (from ultrasmall <5 nm, where confinement dominates, to ~100 nm, where bulk-like behaviour re-emerges), shape (spheres, rods, core–shell), and ligand chemistry. By comparing different dispersion environments, you will disentangle intrinsic nanoparticle behaviour from solvent-induced effects, establishing a systematic picture of charge transport in colloidal nanometals.

builds on recent breakthroughs in THz spectroscopy: as small as 0.01% in aqueous solutions, and in quantitative agreement with electrical methods. You will extend these advanced tools to nanoparticle dispersions, combining equilibrium and pump–probe experiments to reveal confined transport and ultrafast carrier dynamics.

You will be trained in ultrafast optics, terahertz instrumentation, nanoparticle handling, data analysis, and scientific communication. The outcome will be a new experimental framework for mapping electron dynamics in nanometals under realistic liquid-phase conditions — knowledge essential for future energy, photonic, and catalytic technologies.