Colloidal Nanocrystals: A Toolbox for Materials Chemistry
OPEN ACCESS
Loading...
Author / Producer
Date
2021-05
Publication Type
Review Article
ETH Bibliography
yes
Citations
Altmetric
OPEN ACCESS
Data
Rights / License
Abstract
Colloidal nanocrystals are the ideal building blocks for the fabrication of functional materials. Using various assembly, patterning or processing techniques, the nanocrystals can be arranged with unprecedented flexibility in 1-, 2- or 3-dimensional architectures over several orders of length scales, providing access to ordered or disordered, porous or non-porous, and simple as well as hierarchical structures. Careful selection of colloidal nanocrystals allows the properties of the final materials to be predefined. Moreover, by combining different nano-crystals, these properties can be fine-tuned for a specific application, opening up fascinating opportunities to create new materials for energy storage and conversion, catalysis, photocatalysis, biomedicine or optics. Indeed, functional materials made of preformed nanoparticles have been realized for metals, polymers, semiconductors, and ceramics, as well as for composites and organic-inorganic hybrids. In this review article, we introduce some concepts for the fabrication of colloidal nanocrystals and their assembly into dense and porous 3-dimensional structures. Porosity is a particularly important material property that strongly influences its application potential. Therefore, we pay special attention to this aspect and compare porous materials synthesized from nanoparticles with those from molecular routes. An additional focus is set on the degree of structural order that can be achieved on different length scales.
Permanent link
Publication status
published
External links
Editor
Book title
Journal / series
Volume
75 (5)
Pages / Article No.
387 - 397
Publisher
Swiss Chemical Society
Event
Edition / version
Methods
Software
Geographic location
Date collected
Date created
Subject
Colloidal nanocrystals; Functional materials; Materials chemistry
Organisational unit
03763 - Niederberger, Markus / Niederberger, Markus
Notes
Funding
165888 - Tailored synthesis of nanoparticle-based aerogel monoliths and their use in gas phase reactions (SNF)