Microemulsions: Options To Expand the Synthesis of Inorganic Nanoparticles

Microemulsions (MEs) are ideal for obtaining high-quality inorganic nanoparticles. As thermodynamically stable systems with a nanometer-sized droplet phase that serves as a nanoreactor, MEs have obvious advantages for the synthesis of nanoparticles. MEs also have disadvantages, such as their complexity as multicomponent systems, the low amount of obtainable nanoparticles, their limited thermal stability, the fact that hydrolyzable or oxidizable compounds are often excluded from synthesis, the partly elaborate separation of nanoparticles, as well as the removal of surface-adhered surfactants subsequent to synthesis. This Review presents some strategies to further expand the options of ME-based synthesis of inorganic nanoparticles. This comprises the crystallization of nanoparticles in "high-temperature MEs", the synthesis of hollow nanospheres, the use of hydrogen peroxide or liquid ammonia as the polar droplet phase, and the synthesis of base metals and nitrides in MEs.