Contact Information
Mailing Address
University of Northern Colorado
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Campus Box 98
Greeley, CO 80639
Education
Diplome d'Ingenieur - Ecole Superieure de Chimie Industrielle de Lyon, France (Chemistry
and Chemical Engineering)
Ph.D. - Wayne State University (Physical Inorganic Chemistry)
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Colorado State University
Research/Areas of Interest
Biosynthetic pathways for silver metal nanoparticles
Silver nanoparticles are amongst the most abundantly produced nanomaterials, in large
part due to their wide-spectrum antimicrobial properties and their incorporation in
everyday household products. The use of plant extracts to prepare silver nanoparticles
from the bioreduction of silver ions is well reported in the literature; however,
a molecular understanding of the formation and stabilization of these metal nanoparticles,
needed to attain nanoparticle size control and nanoparticle synthesis reproducibility,
is mostly lacking, and is a focus of our research.
Experimental probes of noble metal nanoparticle formation
We are investigating experimental probes of the kinetics of noble metal nanoparticle
formation via surface plasmon resonance versus other, more direct, methods.
Plasmonic metal nanoparticles as biosensors
We are probing the strong optical sensitivity of noble metal nanoparticles via their
surface plasmon resonance towards the detection of analytes and their application
as biosensors.
Link to Google Scholar page: https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=SlyuIGkAAAAJ&hl=en
Publications/Creative Works
Recent Publications
- H.E. Sandoe, M.A. Watzky*, S.A. Diaz “Experimental Probes of Silver Metal Nanoparticle Formation Kinetics:
Comparing Indirect Versus More Direct Methods” International Journal of Chemical Kinetics 2019, 51, 861-871.
- M.A. Watzky* and R.G. Finke* “Gold nanoparticle formation kinetics and mechanism: A critical
analysis of the “Redox Crystallization” mechanism” ACS Omega 2018, 3, 1555-1563.
- Bentea, M.A. Watzky*, and R.G. Finke* “Sigmoidal nucleation and growth curves across nature fit by the Finke−Watzky model
of slow continuous nucleation and autocatalytic growth: Explicit formulas for the
lag and growth times plus other key insights” Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2017, 121, 5302−5312.
Selected Publications Prior to UNC
- A.M. Morris, M.A. Watzky* and R.G. Finke* “Protein aggregation kinetics, mechanism and curve-fitting: A review of the literature”
Biochimica et Biophysica Acta2009, 1794, 375-397. Top 10 Most Downloaded Articles on BBA Proteins and Proteomics; “Highly Cited Paper” (Web of Science); >300 citations (SciFinder)
- M.A. Watzky, E.E Finney and R.G. Finke* “Transition-metal nanocluster size vs. formation time and the catalytically effective
nucleus number: A mechanism-based treatment” Journal of the American Chemical Society2008, 130, 11959-11969.
- A.M. Morris, M.A. Watzky, J.N. Agar, R.G. Finke* “Fitting neurological protein aggregation kinetic data via a 2-step, minimal/Ockham’s
razor model: The Finke-Watzky mechanism of nucleation followed by autocatalytic growth”
Biochemistry2008, 47, 2413-2427
- M.A. Watzky, A.M. Morris, E.D. Ross* and R.G. Finke* “Fitting yeast and mammalian prion aggregation kinetic data with the Finke-Watzky
2-step model of nucleation and autocatalytic growth” Biochemistry2008, 47, 10790-10800.
- M.A. Watzky and R.G. Finke* “Transition metal nanocluster formation kinetic and mechanistic studies. A new mechanism
when hydrogen is the reductant: Slow, continuous nucleation and fast autocatalytic
surface growth” Journal of the American Chemical Society1997, 119, 10382-10400. >500 citations (SciFinder)
- M.A. Watzky and R.G. Finke* “Nanocluster size-control and “magic number” investigations. Experimental tests
of the “living metal polymer” concept and of mechanism-based size-control predictions
leading to the syntheses of Iridium(0) nanoclusters centering about four sequential
magic numbers” Chemistry of Materials1997, 9, 3083-3095.
