Synthesis Of Inorganic Nanostructures Research Articles

Manipulation of Interfacial Diffusion for Controlling Nanoscale Transformation.

The unprecedented development of inorganic nanostructure synthesis has paved the way toward their broad applications in areas such as food science, agroforestry, energy conversion, and biomedicine. The precise manipulation of the nucleation and subsequent growth has been recognized as the central guiding principle for controlling the size and morphology of the nanostructures. However, conventional colloid syntheses based on direct precipitation reactions still have limitations in their versatility and extendibility. The crystal structure of a material determines the limited number of possible morphologies that its nanostructures can adopt. Further, as nucleation and growth kinetics are sensitive to not only the nature of the precipitation reactions but also ligands and ripening effect, rigorous control of reaction conditions must be established for every specific synthesis. In addition, multiple experimental parameters are entangled with each other, thereby requiring rigorous control of all reaction conditions. As a result, it is usually challenging to extend a synthetic recipe from one material to another. As an alternative method, the direct transformation of existing nanostructures into target ones has become an effective and robust approach capable of creating various complex nanostructures that are otherwise challenging to obtain using conventional methods. To this end, an in-depth understanding of nanoscale transformation toward the synthesis of inorganic nanostructures with diverse properties and applications is highly desirable.In this Account, we aim to reveal the critical effect of the interfacial diffusion on controlled nanoscale transformation. We first discuss how the interdiffusion rates determine the morphology and properties of bimetallic nanostructures. While equal interdiffusion rates lead to perfect mixing and generate fully alloyed nanostructures, interdiffusion at unequal rates creates vacancies in the fast diffusion side, which may cause dramatic morphological transformation to the nanostructures. Then, we introduce interfacial reactions, including the Kirkendall cavitation process, elimination reaction, and solid-state reaction, to promote the unbalanced interdiffusion and generalize nanoscale transformations in materials of various compositions, morphologies, and crystal structures. Finally, we discuss the use of capping ligands to inhibit the diffusion of atoms on one side of the interface in order to enable selective etching or transformation of the nanostructures. By modifying the nanostructured surface with specific capping ligands, the diffusion of surface atoms is restricted. When nanoparticles undergo chemical reactions (such as etching or heating), the outward diffusion of substances dominates, thereby successfully achieving chemical and morphological transformations. We believe that controlled interfacial diffusion can effectively manipulate nanoscale transformations, thus providing new strategies for the custom synthesis of multifunctional nanomaterials for various specific applications.

Synthesis of one-dimensional calcium silicate nanowires as effective broadband optical limiters.

Synthesis of inorganic nanostructures with novel morphologies has attracted increasing attention from chemistry and materials science researchers. Calcium silicate nanowires (CaSiO3 NWs) were successfully prepared using a water-ethanol mixture solution system via hydrothermal synthesis. The resulting CaSiO3 NWs were uniform, with widths averaging 10-20nm and lengths up to several micrometers. The synthesized silicate NWs were highly crystalline and mainly constituted of SiO4 tetrahedra. The nanosecond optical limiting (OL) effects were characterized using an open-aperture (OA) Z-scan technique with 4ns laser pulses at 532 and 1064nm. These CaSiO3 NWs exhibited excellent OL performance, superior to that of carbon nanotubes, which are a benchmark optical limiter. Input-fluence-dependent scattering measurements suggested that nonlinear scattering played an important role in the observed OL behavior in the CaSiO3 NWs at 532 and 1064nm. This study provides new insights into the silicate nanowires, which will help in the design and preparation of 1D materials with improved nonlinear optical properties.

Growth of nanocrystals and thin films at the water–oil interface

The use of the water-oil interface provides significant advantages in the synthesis of inorganic nanostructures. Employing the water-toluene interface, luminescent CdS nanocrystals have been obtained at a relatively modest temperature of 35 degrees C. The diameters of the particulates can be varied between 1.0 and 5.0 nm. In addition, we have devised a new method for transferring thin films at the water-toluene interface onto solid substrates. Using this method, thin films consisting of Au and Ag nanocrystals spread over very large areas (square centimetres) are obtained in a single step. These films are directly usable as ingredients of functional devices. We show this by constructing a working amine sensor based on films of Au nanocrystals. The materials obtained have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, absorption and emission spectroscopy and charge transport measurements.

Solution-phase synthesis of inorganic nanostructures by chemical transformation from reactive templates

The solution-phase synthesis by chemical transformation from reactive templates has proved to be very effective in morphology-controlled synthesis of inorganic nanostructures. This review paper summarizes the recent progress in solution-phase synthesis of one-dimensional and hollow inorganic nanostructures via reactive templates, focusing on the approaches developed in our lab. The formation mechanisms based on reactive templates are discussed in depth to show the general concepts for the preparation processes. An outlook on the future development in this area is also presented.

The True Liquid Crystal Approach to Mesoporous Silica

AbstractLiquid crystalline phases, consisting of nonionic surfactant and water, are exploited as templates for the synthesis of inorganic nanostructures In this approach the aqueous domains of a lyotropic liquid crystal phase function as a confining medium, in which the polymerisation of a watersoluble precursor takes place without destroying the nanostructure. Conducting the prepration of mesoporous silica in a lyotropic liquid crystal phase has considerable advantages over previous routes towards mesoporous ceramic oxides. (i) The nanostructure of the solid can be predicted a priori by knowing the phase structure of the liquid crystal before solidification, (ii) this approach allows the use of nonionic surfactants as templates, (iii) the progress of the reaction can be observed by a variety of methods, such as polarised light optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and deuterium NMR spectroscopy, all of which are noninvasive. The synthesis and a new way of monitoring the temporal evolution of the inorganic nanostructure using deuterium NMR spectroscopy are described. The results show unambiguously that the lyotropic liquid crystal phase acts as a template for the nanostructure.