Shape-dependent catalysis and sensing behaviours are primarily focused on nanocrystals enclosed by low-index facets, especially the three basic facets ({100}, {111}, and {110}). Several novel strategies have recently exploded by tailoring the original nanocrystals to greatly improve the catalysis and sensing performances. In this Review, we firstly introduce the synthesis of a variety of Cu2O n...

In this study, ternary alloyed ZnxCd1-xSe (x=0, 0.2, 0.5, 0.8 and 1) semiconductor nanocrystals with high quality are synthesized by a high temperature decomposition route. The effect of Zn content (x) of ZnxCd1-xSe semiconductor nanocrystals on their physical properties is investigated by controlling the Zn/Cd ratios. The optical properties and morphologies of the prepared nanocrystals are mea...

Bulk nanostructured materials are made from the assembly of octahedral PbSe nanocrystals. After thermal annealing, the artificial bulk demonstrates a large difference in behavior depending on the temperature, and a large variation of room-temperature resistivity of up to seven orders of magnitude. This variation originates from the high-indexed sharp edges of the octahedral nanocrystals. As the...

We examined the structure, morphology, and orientation of catalyst nanoparticles used for seeding and growing multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition in CH4/H2 gas mixtures. Iron catalyst nanocrystals are converted to Fe3C in CH4/H2 plasmas and the MWCNTs grow from Fe3C nanocrystals. Initially faceted and equiaxed catalyst nanocrystals are distorted and ...

Quantum confinement of electronic particles (negative electrons and positive holes) in nanocrystals produces unique optical and electronic properties that have the potential to enhance the power conversion efficiency of solar cells for photovoltaic and solar fuels production at lower cost. These approaches and applications are labeled third generation solar photon conversion. Prominent among th...

Silica xerogels containing Sm ions and SnO2 nanocrystals were prepared in a sol–gel process. The image of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) shows that the SnO2 nanocrystals are dispersed in the silica matrix. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) of the sample confirms the tetragonal phase of SnO2. The xerogels containing SnO2 nanocrystals and Sm 3+ ions display the characteristic emission of Sm ion...

Single-crystal 1,4-bis(4-methylstyryl)benzene is a promising material for optoelectronic device applications. We demonstrate the preparation of 1,4-bis(4-methylstyryl)benzene nanocrystals by a wet process using a bottom-up reprecipitation technique. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the morphology of the nanocrystals to be sphere-like with an average particle size of about 60 nm. An aqueous...

Metal–oxide–semiconductor capacitor structure with metal nanocrystals embedded in the gate oxide for the application of nonvolatile memory (NVM) is fabricated. Optimal process parameters are investigated and Au nanocrystals are adopted in this paper. High-frequency capacitance versus voltage (C–V ) and conductance versus voltage (G–V ) measurements demonstrate the memory effect of the structure...

Self-assembling of organic passivated nanocrystals has attracted a lot of interest recently. In this paper, the structural evolution of tetrahedral CoO nanocrystals is studied in situ using transmission electron microscopy. The as-prepared superlattices are Na(AOT)-passivated CoO nanocrystals, packed into monolayer and multilayer arrays on an amorphous carbon film. As the specimen temperature i...

Recently, the synthesis of low-toxic quantum dots (QDs) and their application in biomedicine have attracted considerable attention. ZnSe nanocrystals doped with Mn ions which do not contain any Class A element (Cd, Pb, and Hg) can be used as a new generation of luminescent nanocrystals due to their strong dopant emission. In 2001, Norris et al. presented an organometallic synthetic route for th...