Ligand-Assisted Phase Engineering of Nanomaterials

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Chemical Synthesis

Background:

• Controlling nanomaterial structure is crucial for fundamental research and applications.
• Ligands are used in wet-chemical synthesis to control size, shape, and stability.
• Ligands can also influence the atomic arrangement (phase) of nanomaterials, enabling phase engineering of nanomaterials (PEN).

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize recent advancements in ligand-assisted PEN.
• To elaborate on the roles of different ligands in synthesizing nanomaterials with unconventional crystal and amorphous phases.
• To discuss ligand-induced phase transformations in nanomaterials.

Main Methods:

• Review of ligand-assisted synthesis strategies for nanomaterials.
• Analysis of how different ligand types (amines, fatty acids, sulfur-, and phosphorus-containing ligands) influence material phases.
• Examination of phase engineering in metal, metal chalcogenide, and metal oxide nanomaterials.

Main Results:

• Ligands modify surface energy, influencing Gibbs free energy and enabling unconventional phases at mild conditions.
• Successful synthesis of unconventional hexagonal phase gold (Au) nanomaterials using oleylamine.
• Demonstration of ligand control over direct synthesis and phase transformation of nanomaterials.

Conclusions:

• Ligand-assisted PEN is a powerful strategy for creating nanomaterials with tunable properties.
• Rational ligand design is key to advancing PEN and discovering novel functional nanomaterials.
• Further research into ligand effects will accelerate the development of advanced nanomaterials for diverse applications.