Title: Advances in the Chemical Fabrication of Complex Multimaterial Nanocrystals
Volume: 1
Issue: 3
Author(s): Raffaella Buonsanti, Marianna Casavola, Gianvito Caputo and Pantaleo D. Cozzoli
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Nanocrystals, colloidal synthesis, surfactants, multifunctionality, epitaxial growth, topological control, surface plasmon, luminescence, magnetism, catalysis
Abstract: In this work, recent achievements of nanochemistry research in the fabrication of colloidal nanoheterostructures are reviewed through revisiting relevant papers and related patents. Attention is focused on newly conceived generations of hybrid nanocrystals (HNCs) with a topologically controlled composition, in which size and shape tailored domains of different inorganic materials are permanently assembled together in a single multifunctional particle. Strategies for accessing HNCs in various configurations, such as core/shell systems, hetero-oligomers based on nearly spherical portions, and highly asymmetric nanostructures comprising joint sections with different shapes, are discussed. The chemical-physical properties and technological advantages offered by such complex nanocrystals are also highlighted.
