Two main projects are described in this dissertation. In the first, high-nuclearity bismuth-nitrogen complexes were synthesized as potential precursors to nanomaterials. In the second, a one-pot, seedless approach of producing triangular silver nanoplates of controllable size was developed for light-harvesting applications.

The synthesis of the bismuth-nitrogen cubane complex, [Bi4(NSnMe3)4Cl6]2−, from the reaction between [Bi2Cl9]3− and (Me3Sn)3N is presented. This is the first report of a bismuth-nitrogen cubane complex where the nitrogen sites of the Bi4N4 cube are solely bound to metal atoms. The reaction of [Bi4(NSnMe3)4Cl6]2− with GaCl3 produces [Bi4N4(GaCl3)4], which represents a rare transformation of a high-nuclearity compound directly to another through a metal exchange process. The reactions of [Bi4(NSnMe3)4Cl6]2− with other metal halides (AlCl3, InCl3, BiCl3, [Bi2Cl9]3−, and [GaCl4]1−) were also investigated, and the results suggest that similar transformations also occur. The technique of hot injection was then used with the complexes [Bi4(NSnMe3)4Cl6]2− and [Bi4N4(GaCl3)4] to explore whether they could serve as precursors to form bismuth-nitride containing nanoparticles. The resulting particles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, which showed that the sizes were in fact in the micrometer range. The reactions to produce bismuth-nitrogen cubane complexes were adopted for synthesizing bismuth-phosphide complexes from [Bi2Cl9]3− and (Me3Si)3P.

The final two chapters are devoted to the synthesis and application of silver nanoparticles. A new method of producing triangular silver nanoplates of tunable size is presented. These nanoplates can absorb or scatter light throughout the visible and infrared regions of light. Notably, these nanoplates are stable for long periods of time at room temperature and have capping agents that are easily displaced, which is important in potential applications. They can also be produced in large quantity. In preliminary work aimed toward functionalizing solar cells with the nanoparticles, 4-aminobenzene diazonium complex, a bifunctional linker molecule was synthesized and characterized.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been investigated for many years now due to their exceptionally strong absorption and scattering of light and to their antimicrobial capabilities. These properties are the basis of many applications such as chemical sensors, Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy, antimicrobial textiles, and medical devices with sterilized surfaces. AgNPs have also been added to solar cells to enhance the photoefficiency. Thus far the results have been mostly unsuccessful. For this reason, the purpose of this project was to try a new approach to adding AgNPs to enhance the efficiency of solar cells in which the AgNPs are separated from the surface by distances on the order of 1nm, and they have a size and shape such that they absorb and scatter light in the red and near-infrared (near-IR) regions where the absorption by solar cells is low. Experimental results of the work are presented in which the efficiency of bare thin silicon solar cells was modestly increased by about 1%. These results prove a proof of concept that can lead to further explorations. Computer simulations that use the discrete dipole approximation (DDA) were also carried out to provide theoretical guidance to the experiments. In separate work the DDA was used to simulate the UV-Visible/ near-IR extinction spectra of the AgNPs that were synthesized in solution for the solar cell project. The solution phase simulations along with Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) images of the AgNPs provided a cross check of the origins of the structure in the experimental UV-Visible/ near-IR spectrum.