Partic. vol. 17 pp. 1-10 (December 2014)
doi: 10.1016/j.partic.2014.04.002

Invited review

Inorganic nanocrystals: From molecular design to systematic engineering ^☆

Kai Wang, Zhicheng Zhang, Xun Wang^*, Yadong LiAuthor Vitae

wangxun@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn

Abstract

Solution-based routes have been widely applied in the synthesis of nanostructures. It is desirable to choose or design precursors, ligands, and solvent molecules at the molecular level to allow the synthesis of low-dimensional nanocrystals with various shapes and sizes. The increasing requirements for the integration of the properties of nanocrystals have produced a high demand for the rational design and fine control of complex structures, in terms of both the composition and the structure. To meet this demand, researchers have developed new synthetic strategies to produce more complex and more functional nanocrystals. Typical procedures involve systematic engineering, which focuses on the whole synthetic procedure, instead of just the molecular details. This review focuses mainly on the work of Yadong Li's group over the last decade.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Molecular design; Systematic engineering; Synthesis; Nanocrystal