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Molecules
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Nanocrystals: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications
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Nanocrystals: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2017) | Viewed by 29037

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Rongchao Jin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
Interests: nanoclusters; nanocrystals; colloids; atomic precision
Dr. Gang Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
Interests: nano-synthesis; self-assembly; nano-chemistry/devices; energy saving materials; DNA nanotechnology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanocrystals occupy the central position in modern nanoscience and nanotechnology. Early endeavors in nanocrystal research focused on the attainment of novel structures (e.g. shape and size control) with diversity as the main objective. From atomically precise nanoclusters of tens of atoms to shape-controlled polyhedral nanocrystals of tens of nanometers in size, a variety of nanostructures have been created in recent years and such materials have also found a wide range of applications such as in optical, electrical, catalytic, optoelectronic, chemo- and bio-sensing, and nanomedicine fields. Currently, a primary goal is to achieve mastery of hierarchical structures and precise composition of nanocrystals through rational design and sophisticated control in synthesis, as an endeavor toward achieving the desired properties and targeting applications. This Special Issue, “Nanocrystals: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications”, aims to present a glimpse of the current research activities in the field of nanocrystals, which will cover, without being limited to, synthetic methods, characterization techniques, self-assembly strategies, theoretical simulations, nano-manufacturing, and various applications.

Prof. Dr. Rongchao Jin
Dr. Gang Chen
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • nanocrystal
  • metallic
  • semiconductor
  • self-assembly
  • surface plasmon resonance
  • electron mobility
  • tomography
  • cryo-electron microscopy
  • liquid phase transmission electron microscopy
  • nanocrystal surface patterning
  • nanofabrication
  • photothermal
  • bio-imaging
  • surface enhanced spectroscopy
  • solar energy harvesting
  • nano eletromechanical system

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

2350 KiB  
Communication
Efficient Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Based on Nanoflower-like ZnO Photoelectrode
by Xiaobo Chen, Yu Tang and Weiwei Liu
Molecules 2017, 22(8), 1284; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22081284 - 3 Aug 2017
Cited by 31 | Viewed by 5206
Abstract
A photoanode material ZnO nanoflower (ZNFs) for efficient dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) was prepared. This unique structure can significantly increase the specific surface area and amount of light absorption, leading to a higher short-circuit current density. Furthermore, ZNFs resulted in closer spacing between [...] Read more.
A photoanode material ZnO nanoflower (ZNFs) for efficient dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) was prepared. This unique structure can significantly increase the specific surface area and amount of light absorption, leading to a higher short-circuit current density. Furthermore, ZNFs resulted in closer spacing between the nanorods and more direct conduction paths for electrons, leading to higher open-circuit voltage. The overall promising power conversion efficiency of 5.96% was obtained with photoanodes of 8.5 μm thickness. This work shows that ZNFs is an attractive material and has good potential for application in high efficiency ZnO-based DSSCs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocrystals: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications)
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2556 KiB  
Article
Synthesis and Study of Fe-Doped Bi2S3 Semimagnetic Nanocrystals Embedded in a Glass Matrix
by Ricardo S. Silva, Hanna D. Mikhail, Eder V. Guimarães, Elis R. Gonçalves, Nilo F. Cano and Noelio O. Dantas
Molecules 2017, 22(7), 1142; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22071142 - 11 Jul 2017
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 7038
Abstract
Iron-doped bismuth sulphide (Bi2−xFexS3) nanocrystals have been successfully synthesized in a glass matrix using the fusion method. Transmission electron microscopy images and energy dispersive spectroscopy data clearly show that nanocrystals are formed with an average diameter [...] Read more.
Iron-doped bismuth sulphide (Bi2−xFexS3) nanocrystals have been successfully synthesized in a glass matrix using the fusion method. Transmission electron microscopy images and energy dispersive spectroscopy data clearly show that nanocrystals are formed with an average diameter of 7–9 nm, depending on the thermic treatment time, and contain Fe in their chemical composition. Magnetic force microscopy measurements show magnetic phase contrast patterns, providing further evidence of Fe incorporation in the nanocrystal structure. The electron paramagnetic resonance spectra displayed Fe3+ typical characteristics, with spin of 5/2 in the 3d5 electronic state, thereby confirming the expected trivalent state of Fe ions in the Bi2S3 host structure. Results from the spin polarized density functional theory simulations, for the bulk Fe-doped Bi2S3 counterpart, corroborate the experimental fact that the volume of the unit cell decreases with Fe substitutionally doping at Bi1 and Bi2 sites. The Bader charge analysis indicated a pseudo valency charge of 1.322|e| on FeBi1 and 1.306|e| on FeBi2 ions, and a spin contribution for the magnetic moment of 5.0 µB per unit cell containing one Fe atom. Electronic band structures showed that the (indirect) band gap changes from 1.17 eV for Bi2S3 bulk to 0.71 eV (0.74 eV) for Bi2S3:FeBi1 (Bi2S3:FeBi2). These results are compatible with the 3d5 high-spin state of Fe3+, and are in agreement with the experimental results, within the density functional theory accuracy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocrystals: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications)
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Graphical abstract

7675 KiB  
Article
An All-Nanocrystal Biosensing System for In Vitro Detection of STAT3 Oligonucleotides
by Wei Kong, Chau Fan Lam and Feng Wang
Molecules 2017, 22(7), 1085; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22071085 - 29 Jun 2017
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4678
Abstract
Lanthanide-doped nanocrystals have shown great promise in bio-detection due to their outstanding luminescent properties, including large Stokes shift and sharp emission bands. Herein, we describe an in vitro detection of STAT3 by using an all-nanocrystal biosensing system that takes advantage of inter-particle energy [...] Read more.
Lanthanide-doped nanocrystals have shown great promise in bio-detection due to their outstanding luminescent properties, including large Stokes shift and sharp emission bands. Herein, we describe an in vitro detection of STAT3 by using an all-nanocrystal biosensing system that takes advantage of inter-particle energy transfer between two types of lanthanide-doped nanocrystals. We investigate the effect of nanocrystal size on the sensing performance and find that smaller nanocrystals offer a lower detection limit and larger dynamic range. As STAT3 is identified as an oncogene aberrantly activated and expressed in malignant transformation and tumorigenesis, our study thus holds promise for cancer diagnosis and therapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocrystals: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications)
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5727 KiB  
Article
Nanocrystalline TiO2 Composite Films for the Photodegradation of Formaldehyde and Oxytetracycline under Visible Light Irradiation
by Min Wei, Xue-Lei Peng, Qi-Sheng Liu, Fang Li and Ming-Ming Yao
Molecules 2017, 22(6), 950; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22060950 - 14 Jun 2017
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4743
Abstract
In order to effectively photodegradate organic pollutants, ZnO composite and Co-B codoped TiO2 films were successfully deposited on glass substrates via a modified sol-gel method and a controllable dip-coating technique. Combining with UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and photoluminescence spectra (PL) analyses, [...] Read more.
In order to effectively photodegradate organic pollutants, ZnO composite and Co-B codoped TiO2 films were successfully deposited on glass substrates via a modified sol-gel method and a controllable dip-coating technique. Combining with UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and photoluminescence spectra (PL) analyses, the multi-modification could not only extend the optical response of TiO2 to visible light region but also decrease the recombination rate of electron-hole pairs. XRD results revealed that the multi-modified TiO2 film had an anatase-brookite biphase heterostructure. FE-SEM results indicated that the multi-modified TiO2 film without cracks was composed of smaller round-like nanoparticles compared to pure TiO2. BET surface area results showed that the specific surface area of pure TiO2 and the multi-modified TiO2 sample was 47.8 and 115.8 m2/g, respectively. By degradation of formaldehyde and oxytetracycline, experimental results showed that the multi-modified TiO2 film had excellent photodegradation performance under visible light irradiation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocrystals: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications)
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3882 KiB  
Article
CTAB-Assisted Fabrication of Bi2WO6 Thin Nanoplates with High Adsorption and Enhanced Visible Light-Driven Photocatalytic Performance
by Yuxue Zhou, Pengfei Lv, Xiangdong Meng, Yanping Tang, Pingping Huang, Xiaobing Chen, Xiaoshuang Shen and Xianghua Zeng
Molecules 2017, 22(5), 859; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22050859 - 22 May 2017
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 5923
Abstract
Two-dimensional thin Bi2WO6 nanoplates have been fabricated using a cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-assisted hydrothermal method. We investigated the proposed formation mechanism based on the crystalline structures of the thin Bi2WO6 nanoplates. The high adsorption ability and excellent visible-light [...] Read more.
Two-dimensional thin Bi2WO6 nanoplates have been fabricated using a cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-assisted hydrothermal method. We investigated the proposed formation mechanism based on the crystalline structures of the thin Bi2WO6 nanoplates. The high adsorption ability and excellent visible-light driven photocatalytic activities of the Bi2WO6 nanoplates were illustrated, in view of exposed (001) facets of nanoplates possessing faster separation of photo-generated charge carriers and increased catalytically active sites. Such a cost-effective way to obtain Bi2WO6 nanoplates offers new possibilities for the design of adsorptive semiconductor photocatalysts with strengthened photocatalytic activities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocrystals: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications)
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