Physical Chemistry of Dust: Weak Intermolecular Interactions in Molecular Nanoparticles

Abstract

Large weakly bound molecular aggregates are ubiquitous: As atmospheric aerosols they influence the quality of the air and have a significant impact on our climate. Furthermore pharmaceuticals in the form of nanoparticles are required to achieve a targeted drug delivery. In all these fields, physical-chemical methods play a crucial role for the preparation and characterization of this type of matter. Apart from such experimental efforts, one of the greatest challenges is to understand the properties of large molecular aggregates on a microscopic level.

Keywords

• Collisional cooling
• Infrared spectroscopy
• Intermolecular interactions
• Molecular nanoparticles
• Rapid expansion of supercritical solutions