Nanopicture of the Day

www.nanopicoftheday.org

March 28, 2004

Variety in Nanocrystals

Source:  Paul Alivisatos

      References:

E. C. Scher, L. Manna, A. P. Alivisatos "Shape control and applications of nanocrystals"
Philosophical Transactions: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences  361 (1803): 241-255 (February 15 2003)

 

L. S. Li, J. T. Hu, W. D. Yang, A. P. Alivisatos "Band gap variation of size- and shape-controlled colloidal CdSe quantum rods" Nanoletters 1 (7): 349-351 (July 2001)
 
Description:

The images above show the variety of shapes and sizes that nanocrystals can be made to assume. The rod-shaped nanocrystals to the far left can be stacked for possible use in LEDs, while the tetrapod to the far right should be handy for wiring nano-sized devices.

Nanocrystals are aggregates of anywhere from a few hundred to tens of thousands of atoms that combine into a crystalline form of matter known as a "cluster." Typically around ten nanometers in diameter, nanocrystals are larger than molecules but smaller than bulk solids and therefore frequently exhibit physical and chemical properties somewhere in between. Given that a nanocrystal is virtually all surface and no interior, its properties can vary considerably as the crystal grows in size.


 

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