Synthesis of Tailor-Made Ceramic Nanocrystals by Organic Ligand-Assisted Hydrothermal Method

Abstract

To fine-tune the properties of ceramics, they can now be processed into uniform-size nanocrystals with spherical, cube, sheet, rod, wire shapes. Another trend in research aims at arranging individual nanocrystals into superlattices and investigating their unique properties. Despite these recent advances, controlling the shape, crystal structure, and surface characteristics of ceramic nanocrystals is still a difficult task. Here, we report an approach to tailor-made ceramic nanocrystals by means of organic ligand-assisted hydrothermal method. We succeeded in the synthesis of the ceramic nanocrystals such as ceria (CeO₂) nanocubes and titania (TiO₂) nanosheets. Also importantly, the use of water, instead of an organic solvent, provides an environmentally benign “green” chemistry route to nano building blocks for advanced materials and devices.