Murielle Watzky-Brewer

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Colorado State University

PhD, Wayne State University, 1994
Area of Study: Physical Inorganic Chemistry

Diplome d’Ingenieur, E.S.C.I.L. (C.P.E. Lyon), 1992
Area of Study: Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

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.

• Watzky, M. A., Ethridge, A. J. (2025). Growth-Based Analyte and Bioanalyte Sensing Applications Using Noble Metal Nanoparticles: Effect of Nanoparticle Growth on the Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance Signal. Analysis & Sensing.. https://doi.org/10.1002/anse.202400076
• Watzky, M. A., & Finke, R. G. (2021). Pseudoelementary steps: A key concept and tool for studying the kinetics and mechanisms of complex chemical systems. The Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 125(51), 10687-10705.
• Whitehead, C. B., Watzky, M. A., & Finke, R. G. (2020). “Burst nucleation” vs autocatalytic,“burst” growth in near-monodisperse particle-formation reactions. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 124(45), 24543-24554.
• Finke, R. G., Watzky, M. A., & Whitehead, C. B. (2020). Response to “Particle size is a primary determinant for sigmoidal kinetics of nanoparticle formation: A “Disproof” of the Finke–Watzky (FW) nanoparticle nucleation and growth mechanism”. Chemistry of Materials, 32(8), 3657-3672.
• Sandoe, H. E., Watzky, M. A., & Diaz, S. A. (2019). Experimental probes of silver metal nanoparticle formation kinetics: Comparing indirect versus more direct methods. International Journal of Chemical Kinetics, 51(11), 861-871.
• Watzky, M. A., & Finke, R. G. (2018). Gold nanoparticle formation kinetics and mechanism: a critical analysis of the “redox crystallization” mechanism. ACS omega, 3(2), 1555-1563.
• Watzky, M. A. (2018). ACS student chapter at the University of Northern Colorado: The legacy of professor Kimberly AO Pacheco. In Building and Maintaining Award-Winning ACS Student Member Chapters Volume 3 (pp. 107-114). American Chemical Society.
• Bentea, L., Watzky, M. A., & Finke, R. G. (2017). 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. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 121(9), 5302-5312.
• Morris, A. M., Watzky, M. A., & Finke, R. G. (2009). Protein aggregation kinetics, mechanism, and curve-fitting: a review of the literature. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-Proteins and Proteomics, 1794(3), 375-397.
• Watzky, M. A., Finney, E. E., & Finke, R. G. (2008). Transition-metal nanocluster size vs formation time and the catalytically effective nucleus number: A mechanism-based treatment. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 130(36), 11959-11969.
• Morris, A. M., Watzky, M. A., Agar, J. N., & Finke, R. G. (2008). Fitting neurological protein aggregation kinetic data via a 2-step, Minimal/“Ockham’s Razor” Model: The Finke− Watzky mechanism of nucleation followed by autocatalytic surface growth. Biochemistry, 47(8), 2413-2427.
• Watzky, M. A., & Finke, R. G. (1997). 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 materials, 9(12), 3083-3095.
• Watzky, M. A., Macatangay, A. V., Van Camp, R. A., Mazzetto, S. E., Song, X., Endicott, J. F., & Buranda, T. (1997). Spectroscopic and electrochemical probes of electronic coupling in some cyanide-bridged transition metal donor/acceptor complexes. The Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 101(45), 8441-8459.
• Watzky, M. A., & Finke, R. G. (1997). 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 Society, 119(43), 10382-10400.
• Endicott, J. F., Watzky, M. A., Song, X., & Buranda, T. (1997). Observations implicating vibronic coupling in covalently linked transition metal electron transfer systems. Coordination chemistry reviews, 159, 295-323.
• ENDICOTT, J. F., WATZKY, M. A., MACATANGAY, A. V., MAZZETTO, S. E., Song, X., & Buranda, T. (1997). Some effects of vibronic coupling in covalently linked transition metal donor-acceptor complexes. Electron And Ion Transfer In Condensed Media: Theoretical Physics For Reaction Kinetics, 139.
• Watzky, M. A., Endicott, J. F., Song, X., Lei, Y., & Macatangay, A. (1996). Red-shifted cyanide stretching frequencies in cyanide-bridged transition metal donor− acceptor complexes. support for vibronic coupling. Inorganic Chemistry, 35(12), 3463-3473.
• Watzky, M. A., Xiaoqing, S., & Endicott, J. F. (1994). Forbidden π-σ donor-acceptor electronic coupling in linked transition metal complexes: contrasting behavior of ruthenium (II) donors with ruthenium (III) and cobalt (III) acceptors. Inorganica chimica acta, 226(1-2), 109-116.
• Endicott, J. F., Song, X., Watzky, M. A., & Buranda, T. (1994). Photoinduced electron transfer in linked transition metal donor—acceptor complexes. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry, 82(1-3), 181-190.
• Endicott, J. F., Song, X., Watzky, M. A., Buranda, T., & Lei, Y. (1993). Electrochemical and spectroscopic manifestations of donor-acceptor coupling in cyanide bridged transition metal complexes: contrasts between Ru CN Ru, Co CN Ru and Rh CN Ru systems. Chemical physics, 176(2-3), 427-438.
• Watzky, M. A., Waknine, D., Heeg, M. J., Endicott, J. F., & Ochrymowyzc, L. A. (1993). Tetradentate macrocyclic complexes of platinum. Evaluation of the stereochemical alterations of redox behavior and the x-ray crystal structure of (1, 4, 7, 10-tetrathiacyclododecane) platinum (II) chloride. Inorganic Chemistry, 32(22), 4882-4888.